


Chasing Harley

by crazyTXgradstudent



Category: Chase Landry - Fandom, Original Female Character - Fandom, Swamp People RPF
Genre: But I've got one now, F/M, I don't even have a title so who knows?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 01:52:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 53,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4203444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyTXgradstudent/pseuds/crazyTXgradstudent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yeah, so I just go with whatever pops up in my head...</p></blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She knew she should have stopped at that last exit.  The sign had said as much.  It was the last damn exit on this side of this damn bridge, and now she was up the damn creek without a paddle. She maneuvered her car over to the side of the bridge, her anxiety rising higher and higher as she thought what to do. Her car was not old, it was not out of gas, and it was not supposed to be breaking down!  So why the hell was it spewing steam out from under the hood??? There had to be a hose busted somewhere, or the radiator.

When she finally stopped the car, she popped the hood and got out of the car. Luckily – or not – it was late as hell, so at least she wasn’t dodging cars as she walked around to the front of her car. She carefully opened the hood and jumped back when more steam started spewing. She had no idea what the hell was going on. If she had tools, and lights, and parts, she could most likely fix the damn thing, but out here, she was pretty much screwed.  She stood, staring at her angry car for a few moments, still trying to figure out what to do. There was a call-box next to the light pole that she’d pulled up under, but of course it wasn’t working.

“Of fucking course,” she muttered as she slammed the dead phone back down into the case. She could walk a mile down to the next one, or she could use her cell phone. But who the hell did she call?  She dialed the only number she had, even though she knew it was going to be useless. He was no help in situations like this, had never been.

“Harley?” the voice was loud over the line. She could hear noise in the background, what sounded like music, but she couldn’t be sure.

“Jeromy? It’s me, yes.” She nearly screeched into the phone. Who else would be calling at this late?

“I can barely hear you, babe!” Her fiancé nearly shouted into the phone. “Give me a few minutes to find a quiet spot.”

Harley stood impatiently, all but tapping her foot as she brushed away the mosquitoes that were swarming her. Thinking better of standing out here on the road, she quickly got back in her car as she waited.  She could still hear the damn tell-tale buzz of a mosquito that had managed to sneak in with her.

“Babe, what’s up?” Jeromy came over the line again, this time much quieter.

“Where are you? I thought you were going home,” Harley questioned him, momentarily forgetting about her predicament.  Why was he always out lately?

“I told you I was going over to Ronnie’s, babe,” Jeromy replied, intimating that they’d discussed this when she knew damn well that they hadn’t.

“You didn’t, but whatever,” Harley muttered.  She had bigger things to worry about right now. “Look, Jeromy, I’m broke down on this damn bridge in Louisiana. The big long bridge? You know what I’m talking about?”

“The 20 mile bridge?”

“Yes. Whatever it’s called. My car is smoking and I don’t know what to do.” She swatted at the mosquito as it flitted across in front of her, bouncing against the steering wheel. Little bastards.

“Well, what should I do?” Jeromy asked her, and all Harley could do was shake her head.  He was the most unreliable man she’d ever met, and this would be no exception. Not for the first time did she question herself on why she was marrying this incapable man...

“I don’t know, Jeromy. I was thinking that since your fiancé is stuck out in the middle of fucking nowhere you’d figure out some way to help me, but of course that’s too much for you, isn’t it?” She was pissed now. She could feel her cheeks heating in anger. This was the man she was supposed to marry, and he couldn’t be bothered to come help her when she needed him.

“Babe, seriously. You want me to drive there? You know how long it would take?” Jeromy reasoned with her. “Besides, I’ve been drinking, so I really can’t drive.”

Of course he was drinking.  Anytime he was with Ronnie, that’s all they did. How he managed to maintain his career was beyond her, what with all his high-school antics. He and Ronnie and the rest of the “boys” all seemed to think and behave like they were still seniors in high school.  Fuck real life and all apparently.

“Can’t you call a tow truck? Or something?”

“Bye, Jeromy. I’ll figure it out,” she muttered angrily.  Jeromy was replying when she hung up on him.

Right at that moment, with no cars coming on either side, she started to feel the panic begin to creep in and she had to close her eyes to get a grip.

“Calm down, Harley Dawn. Just calm the fuck down. You’ve been through worse, and this is just one more thing to get through.” She opened her eyes again and took a deep breath to steady herself as she surveyed her surroundings. It was so damn dark out here! She put the key in the ignition and turned it so that at least the radio could come on, anything to distract her from the quietness of being alone. She then dug through her glove box and found her insurance card and dialed the roadside assistance number on the back.

A few minutes later, she was finally connected with someone, but it was not good news. 

She’d have to wait up to 4 hours before anyone could get to her. She hung up the phone with shaky fingers, and sat back against her seat.  Seemingly out of nowhere, a car zoomed past her, and she thought she saw the brakes light up, and frightened, she quickly made sure her doors were locked. What the fuck was she gonna do if some weirdo stopped? 

She breathed a little easier when the car continued on its way, the red tail lights eventually disappearing and leaving her in the dark again.  The roadside assistance rep said she needed to put her four-ways on so that she could be found, but she was scared to death to attract someone else. Throwing caution to the wind, she put the flashers on, and her headlights - anything to give herself some light. She checked the doors again and made sure that they were locked, and for the rest of the time, she sat in her car, clutching her small can of mace and praying that the tow truck would come sooner rather than later.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a little over an hour – even though it felt like an eternity – when a truck pulled up behind her.  Was it a tow truck? She squinted as she looked in her rear view mirror.  It certainly didn’t look like one, and she immediately started panicking.  She watched, terrified, as a man jumped down from the lifted truck and walked over to her window. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he tapped on her window.

“Excuse me?” he tapped again.  Harley debated with ignoring him altogether, threatening to call the cops, or rolling down her window and spraying him with mace. “Ma’am?” the deep voice called again. 

She could hear his accent was strong, and she grimaced.  Probably some redneck Cajun from down here in these god-forsaken swamps! The man tapped again, and Harley knew she couldn’t ignore him any longer.  She cautiously lowered her window just a crack.

“Yes?” she squeaked out.

“I seen your flashers. Do you need help?” the man asked her through the crack in the window.

“No thank you, I’m waiting on a tow truck.” Harley stiffly replied.  The man laughed at that, and Harley narrowed her eyes as she stared back at him.

“What’s so funny?” She gritted out from between clenched teeth.

“I was with the guy that got the call from your insurance company, and I can tell you he ain’t coming.”

“Why?” Harley was terrified again.

“Cause he’s drunk off his ass.  I’m the most sober one, so I said I’d come check it out.”

Harley closed her eyes as she tried to wrap her mind around what was happening. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and took a few deep breaths.

“This isn’t happening to me, this isn’t happening to me, this can’t be happening to me,” she chanted over and over to herself.   From outside the window, she heard the man chuckle again.

“Ma’am, do you want help or not? Cause I’m getting ate up by mosquitoes, and I really don’t wanna stand out here all night.” 

Harley looked up at the man again. She still couldn’t see his face clearly, but she could see he had on a ball cap, and he appeared to be young, but she wasn’t sure.

“How can I trust you?” she questioned him warily.

“Look, ma’am, if I wanted to do somethin', I could have already done it.” He tapped the windshield again. “This glass is easy to break, and as you can see, we’re all alone out here.” He leaned down, hands on knees and smiled at her through the glass, and she stopped breathing. 

Oh yes, he was most definitely young. 

She was expecting some old, probably heavy-set tow truck driver to show, and this man was most certainly not that. This man was probably early to mid-30s, and she was a little stunned by his smile.  She thought he might have dark brown eyes, but she couldn’t be sure in the light.  It was his smile that turned her insides though, making her feel something weird in her stomach. He had the beginnings of a dimple on one side, and she could just make out the flash of his teeth in the dim light. She could only imagine what he looked like in broad daylight, lord have mercy!

“Ma’am?” the man asked again, and Harley had to forcefully drag herself back to reality.

“Um….okay…what exactly are you going to do, Mr….” she trailed off, not knowing his name.

“Landry, ma’am. Chase Landry.” He smiled again and stood back up.  “Well, I can take a look at your car, see if I can get it fixed here, but otherwise, we’re gonna have to tow it back down to the next exit.  Where are you headed?”

His name was Landry?  Did he know the people she was going to interview? That would be a fucking coincidence, wouldn’t it?  She shucked that thought off; Landry was a common name all throughout SE Texas, so she was sure it was the same here in Louisiana.

“Pierre Part.” Harley answered as she started to unbuckle.  She had no choice. She could sit here all night, or go with this man and his beautiful smile. What a story that would be, right? A serial killer with a beautiful smile kidnaps a communications major student on the 20 mile bridge.

“Pierre Part? You know you missed the exit, right?”  He stood back away from her as she slowly opened her door and got out.  She stood shakily, the mace still clutched tightly in her hand. If he tried anything, she was gonna spray his ass good! He walked around to the front of the car, and turned on the flashlight he’d been carrying with him and started looking at the engine.

“What do you mean, missed the exit?” Harley asked as she came around to the front of the car. He was leaned over, tapping on wires and hoses occasionally as he tried to figure out what was going on.

“Yeah, you was supposed to take 167 in Lafayette, then get on 90, and head down that way until you hit 70 in Morgan City.  It takes you up into Pierre Part.” He continued pulling on hoses and digging around in her engine.

“Is Franklin along that route? I’m supposed to be checking in at a bed and breakfast there. The Fairfax House, I think it’s called?” Harley asked as she swatted another mosquito away from her face.  They were swarming around the light from Chase’s flashlight.  He looked up at her and smiled again, and again she felt herself get a little weak in the knees. 

God he was handsome.  He most definitely was, and it was a bit disconcerting to say the least.

“Franklin? You're really lost, ma’am. Yeah, Franklin is on the way – kinda – but it’s still not this way.  If you kept going this way, you’d have to double back in Baton Rouge, and that would take forever.” He stood up and shut the hood, and wiped his hands on his jeans. “You’ve got a hose busted. Nothing I can fix here. I can tow you back to Whiskey Bay, or down to Franklin, whichever you prefer.  Franklin has a shop, but not sure when they can fix it.”

“Oh god,” Harley sighed as she wiped a hand over her face.

“What are you doing in Pierre Part?” Chase asked her as he pulled his cap off and swatted at the mosquitoes.  She could see he had longish hair, the dark brown waves matted against his head from his hat pressing it down.

“I’m interviewing the Landry family, actually.  That show on History Channel? I’m sure you know of it, right?” Harley asked him.  Chase stopped swatting the bugs and stared at her for just a moment, but then pulled his hat back on his head.

“Uh…yeah…I’ve heard of it, yes. What time is that supposed to be?” He asked her, and Harley wondered at the shift in his tone. He sounded almost cautious now, wary even.

“It was supposed to be at 10:00am, but now I don’t know what I am going to do.  I hate to be late,” Harley whined miserably. “I don’t know what to do, though.”

“You ain’t never seen the show?” Chase asked carefully.

“No. I’ve heard of it, but I don’t watch much TV,” she replied, holding a hand over her mouth in an effort to keep the bugs out.  She felt like she had swallowed a million of the little suckers already!

“Well, I know Troy Landry. He’ll be alright waiting for a bit,” Chase replied easily. “Especially if he knows it’s a pretty girl comin’ to interview him.”

“Wow,” Harley glared at Chase. “Really, Mr. Landry, can you just try to be a little professional?”

“Hey, I’m sorry! I told you I had a little to drink,” he held his hands up apologetically as he walked back to his truck. Harley followed along behind him, unsure of what to do. She nearly tripped on a pothole, and she cursed the damn heels she was wearing!  She reached down and pulled them off, holding them in her hands as she walked over to his truck. He was digging for something in the back seat. He finally turned back around and smiled at her again as he held up what looked to be rope…or something.

“Tow straps,” he answered her unspoken question with another grin. “You can get in the truck if you want, stay out of the mosquitoes.  I just need your keys and I’ll get the car hooked up and we’ll be on our way.” Again, seeing no way out and no other alternatives, she fished her keys out of her purse and handed them to him.  He walked over to the passenger side of his truck and opened the door.

“Come on, get in,” he jerked his head at her. “I gotta move my truck up in front of your car so I can hook it up.”

Harley hurried around to the passenger side and climbed up – literally – into his truck, and sat still. He shut the door behind her and she watched him as he came around and hopped in the driver’s side.  He started the truck up, and Harley was startled at the noise this truck made, but said nothing.  He pulled it up in front of her car, and put it in park.

“You can mess with the radio, or the air, or whatever you need.  I won’t be but a minute,” he told her as he hopped out of the truck. 

She didn’t touch anything, but she did look around the inside. It was a newer truck, a GMC, and it was well-kept.  The Sirius satellite radio was set to the Bluetooth feature.  _“Chase’s iPhone”_ was where the music was coming from, and it was currently playing Ray Charles' and BB King's [Sinner's Prayer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jla0tNfM0PI).    She smiled to herself a little as she stared through the mirror at this man as he hooked her car up to be towed.  How funny that a man like Chase would listen to a song like this?  She turned it up slightly, relaxing as she heard the soulful sounds fill the truck.  It had been forever since she'd heard any good blues music.  

She was interrupted when Chase hopped back in the truck.  Again, she got a whiff of whatever cologne he was wearing, and she felt her cheeks heat again at her wayward thoughts.  This man was a tow truck driver for God’s sake!

“You ready?” He asked her as he buckled his seat belt. “It’s a few minutes down to Franklin, especially since we’re towing.” He reached behind his seat and pulled a bottle water out of a cooler and handed it to her. “Thirsty?”

Harley took it gratefully and drank from it almost greedily.  It was hot and humid outside, and with the windows rolled up, it was even hotter. Chase pulled the truck out onto the highway again and took off.

“Are you sure you can drive?” Harley asked, frightened as he accelerated the truck.  He cockily grinned over at her.

“I ain’t that drunk.” He winked at her and turned his eyes back to the road ahead. “There’s more back there if you need another,” he spoke softly as he checked his rear view mirror.

“No, I’m good, thank you,” Harley replied softly.  She sat back against the seat and stared out the window, watching as the blackness of the swamp passed them by.

“So what’s your name?” Chase asked, breaking the silence.

“Harley. Harley Fontenot.”

“Are you a reporter then? “ Chase asked curiously as he looked over at her.

“Kinda. I’m a journalism student at Lamar in Beaumont.  I got tasked to come interview the family as part of my job training. One of my family friends in Beaumont knows Mr. Landry, so he set this up for me.” Harley smiled over at Chase slyly. “Trying to outdo my competition you, know?”

“I don’t imagine you have much competition,” Chase murmured as he took a drink from his own water bottle.  Shocked, Harley again glared at him, her hackles rising as she tried to figure out if he was being flirtatious or just a sexist pig.

“That’s the second time, Mr. Landry. Can you please try to keep your unnecessary comments to yourself?” She whispered furiously.  Chase looked at her with brows drawn together in surprise at her reaction.

“Y’all Texans really are uptight, aren’t y’all?"  He shifted in his seat but did not look at her.

“Maybe, and you Louisianans are just as wild as I’ve heard.  Can you just do your job, please?” Harley stared out her window, trying to get as far away from this man as possible.  He was exactly the kind of man she did not need to be even remotely attracted to.  Not that she was or anything, she hastily assured herself!  A drunken tow truck driver from Louisiana was not in her plans – at all.

“Yes, ma’am,” Chase replied evenly, and Harley stiffened, wondering if she’d pissed him off now.

She knew she could be uptight, and she’d been told she was pretentious – a snob even – but that’s because no one knew the truth.  She’d never get out of that black hole that was her family if she let her guard down even a bit.  She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes, trying to ward off the anxiety attack that wanted to overtake her. 


	3. Chapter 3

Harley felt herself being gently shaken, and she slowly opened her eyes groggily.

“Ma’am? Harley?” Chase’s face came in clear as he was standing inside her door, trying to wake her.  She slowly sat up, groaning at the crick in her neck from the way she had been sleeping. Chase’s hand was on her shoulder, gently patting her. 

Oh god.

She had been asleep in this truck with this man for God knows how long.

“What time is it?” she asked stiffly as she jerked back away from him.  Chase wryly smiled at her as he too stepped back from her.

“Well, there she is, Miss High and Mighty, wide awake.” He walked around to the back of the truck, leaving Harley sputtering indignantly after him. She glanced at the time on his dash – it was after 2am! 

God! Her interview was in less than 8 hours, and she’d not even gotten to her room yet.  Grumbling to herself, she slid her feet into her heels and got out of the truck, and walked around to where Chase was.  He was unhooking the cable that he had used to tow her car, and his back was turned to her.

“So I see the Fairfax over there. Is this the auto repair shop here?” Harley asked as she looked around.  She saw the hotel, but no sign of an auto-repair shop…

“I’m not sure,” Chase grunted as he undid one of the cable hooks from under her car.  He stood and wiped his hands on his jeans and stared down at her as he began wrapping the straps back up around his elbow. “Guess you better go ask around, huh?”

Harley leaned back on heels, taken aback at his abrupt change of attitude.

“Well you’re very rude now,” she muttered under her breath as he walked around to the other side.

“Oh no, ma’am. I’m trying to be civilized like you asked for,” Chase countered. “And not, I quote, a 'coonass hillbilly' from the sticks.”

“What are you talking about?” Harley huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively.  Chase looked up at her from where he was, kneeling down in front of her car.

“You talk in your sleep.  You know, like drunk talk is real talk?  Well, you say a lot when you’re sleeping.” Chase finished with the strap and rolled that one up as well. He walked back over to his truck and tossed the straps inside and climbed up in behind the wheel.  Harley, sensing he was leaving, quickly ran over to him.

“Are you leaving?” she asked breathlessly.  He was really going to leave her here, alone, in the middle of the night?

“Yep. The hotel is over there,” he nodded in the direction of the inn, “and there’s someone there that can help you the rest of the way, I’m sure.”

Harley stared up at him as he buckled.  What an asshole.

“What do I owe you? For the tow, that is?” Harley fumed as she dug in her purse.  When he didn’t reply, she looked up to see him staring down at her, the look on his face that of someone who couldn't care less.

“You keep your money, okay? A coonass like myself wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway.” His voice had a definite edge to it now, and Harley could see his jaw was tensed in anger. 

She felt like she should apologize, but she didn’t have time as he started up the truck, nodded his head with a cocked eyebrow, and pulled away.  She stood, mouth open, and watched the asshole drive away and leave her alone.  In the middle of fucking nowhere, he left her.

_What. An. Asshole._

She looked around, and her eyes landed on the inn, and she was thankful that at least there was light there.  Without taking anything from her car, she marched over and pushed the doorbell for the night person duty.  A few moments later, an older lady appeared, and within a few minutes, Harley was situated in her room.  She sat on the bed, almost numb, as she tried to figure out what to do.  If there was a hardware shop around here, she could feasibly fix the car, barring it wasn’t anything too ridiculous. Lots of shade-tree mechanics with her grandfather had taught her plenty of easier car fixes.  Hoses, she could fix – radiators she could not.  She lay back on the bed, her body weary with exhaustion, and before too long, she had already drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Harley awoke with a start.  The light streaming into her window immediately clued her in to the fact that she was probably way, way late for her interview.

“Oh god!” she moaned as she rolled out of bed and grabbed her cell phone. It was after 8am!! She immediately called the number provided to her to try to reach Mr. Landry and let him know that she was going to be late. After about the 2nd ring, a woman answered the phone, and Harley nearly gasped in relief that it wasn’t Mr. Landry.

“Hello?” the woman on the line answered.

“Hi! My name is Harley Fontenot, and I am supposed to be interviewing Mr. Landry this morning, but due to some…unforeseen problems last night…I'm afraid I’m going to be late.” Harley was rushing, and she knew it, and she mentally coached herself to calm down and speak slower.

“Oh honey, I’m sorry! I hope it was nothing serious?” the woman asked, and Harley felt herself almost smile.  Who was this angel and where was she last night when she was dealing with the drunken tow truck asshole??

“It was my car, it broke down on the bridge, and I had to have it towed to Franklin, and it’s just been a mess, and I am so sorry!” So much for slowing down, Harley thought ruefully.

“Oh my word! No, honey, please don’t worry.  I’m Troy’s wife.  He’ll be okay once I let him know what’s going on. That man will find something to do,” the older woman chuckled, and Harley chuckled as well.

“Okay, that’s a relief, and I appreciate your willingness to work with me.  I’m going to go see about getting my car fixed, or getting a rental or something, and then I’ll be headed your way. If that’s okay with you?”

“Oh yes, honey.  Take care of yourself and your car.  We’ll be here,” the older woman assured her. A few moments later, Harley hung up, feeling much better about the whole situation.

She was sure the interview was still going to be a go. All she needed to do was get her damn car fixed.  A little digging around and she found an O’Reilly Auto Parts store that had the hose she needed.  A few clamps later, a hose, and a little sweat, and she was back in business.  She closed the hood with a satisfied smile, and headed back to her room for a shower and quick change of clothes.  Less than an hour later, she was back on the road – in the right direction – and headed to Pierre Part. 

Using her phone as a GPS, she prayed that she found the right house. She pulled down the winding driveway, smiling a bit at how beautiful it was here. The oak trees were old, and tall, and she could see the Spanish moss hanging from them.  She remembered playing with that moss as a kid, using it as nests for bird, and beds for her Barbie dolls. 

Unsure of where to park, she stayed on the concrete driveway, and parked behind a huge black truck.  For a scary moment, she thought it looked just like the idiot’s truck from last night, but she quickly brushed that off.  He was back in Whiskey Bay, so what would he possibly be doing down here?  No, there had to be hundreds of trucks just like this one all over Louisiana, she assured herself.  She put the car in park and grabbed her things and stepped out of the car.  Taking a deep breath, she headed up to the front porch.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

“You must be Harley? I’m Bernita,” the woman smiled at her through the screen door.

“Yes ma’am, Harley Fontenot. I am so sorry about being late,” Harley apologized again.  The older women opened the door, poo-pooing Harley’s apology with a wave of her hand.

“Nonsense. It happens. Come inside,” she opened the door wide, beckoning Harley inside. 

She followed, and walked with the older woman in to the kitchen. Harley was amazed at the house. Built entirely from what looked to be cedar, it was simple, but beautiful beyond anything she’d ever seen.  It felt warm, and cozy, and judging by all the family portraits on the wall, she could see huge celebrations and lots of fun happening here.  One of the men in the pictures looked vaguely familiar to her, but again she brushed it off, knowing she’d never seen these people before in her life.

“You thirsty, Harley?” Bernita asked as she poured what looked to be lemonade into a glass. Without waiting for an answer, she slid it across the island towards Harley. “Have a seat, sweetie. Troy is out with one of our sons, but he should be back shortly.”

Harley took a sip of her lemonade, pleasantly surprised when it tasted so good. It had been a long time since she’d tasted anything this good, and especially lemonade.

“This is very good!” She smiled up at Bernita.  The older woman grabbed her glass and sat down across from Harley.

“So tell me about yourself, Harley. That’s an interesting name, too,” Bernita remarked with a smile.

“The men in my family were Harley fanatics, thus the name.” Harley giggled and so did Bernita. “Um, I’m from Beaumont, and I’m a communications major at Lamar.  Mr. Thatcher had a hand in setting up this interview.  I’m doing it as part of my station work, and it may never get aired, but I'm hoping it does.”

“Oh wow! That’s great, sweetie. Troy gets interviewed quite a bit – the boys too – so it shouldn’t be much of a problem. I myself don’t really take part in the whole television thing.”

“Oh really?” Harley asked.  “Any reason why?”

“That sounds like an interview question,” Bernita winked playfully at her, and Harley felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment.

“Oh my gosh! You’re right, sorry!”

“I’m teasing, honey,” Bernita replied.  She cocked her head to the side as if she were listening, and turned back to Harley with a smile. “That sounds like the boys now. You wanna come out back with me and meet them?”

“Sure,” Harley replied, her voice high-pitched with nervousness. Bernita smiled at her gently.

“Oh dear, you’ve got nothing to be worried about.  My husband’s harmless, and the boys will fall in love with you.” She walked over to the back door and held it open, waiting for Harley to step out. 

Harley was again blushing profusely, and she patted her cheeks in an effort to cool them off before she saw Mr. Landry. She followed Bernita through the back door and down the steps into the backyard. It was beautiful here, with the water a mere hundred yards from the back porch.  She could imagine sitting out here late at night with friends and family, maybe drinking a beer around a fire and just having fun.  She tried to reign in her wistful thoughts as she followed the older woman. Down at the dock, there were two men, although she couldn’t see their faces. They were of similar height, and both had on ball caps and waders.  One appeared to be a bit heavier set, and she assumed that must Troy. The slimmer, more muscular one had to be a son.

“Troy!” Bernita called to her husband.  The heavier one turned around at his wife’s voice, confirming Harley’s observation on who was who.

“Yeah?” he called back.

“The reporter is here,” Bernita replied as they walked closer. Troy turned back to his son, pointed at a few things, and then headed up to where the women were standing. He had a huge smile on his face, and Harley couldn’t help but smile back.

“Well hello there, miss!” Troy Landry smiled at her as he kissed his wife on the forehead. “I’d shake your hand, but I’m a little dirty from the swamp.”

Harley giggled at his strong accent, and she immediately got the feeling that Troy Landry was the life of whatever party he was at.  He just had that air about him, and she immediately liked him.

“So I heard about your car! Oh my god, what a mess, yeah?” Troy asked her.

“Yes it was. Then the tow truck was another mess, and really I’m just glad that it’s all over,” Harley replied.  She did not want to talk about last night.  At all.

“So you got your car fixed then?” Troy asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.  Harley nodded.

“I did. It was just a busted hose, easy fix.”

“Oh well that’s good then! Glad to hear you got it all straightened out,” Troy replied with a smile.  He turned back to where the boat was, and who Harley presumed was his son. The man was done, and he brushed his hands off as he started walking away from them, back towards the shed.

“Chase Michael!” Troy bellowed. “Come over here, son!” The other man turned around and headed back up to where the three of them were standing. “Come meet this pretty lady, son,” Troy turned back to Harley with a proud smile. “That my baby boy, Chase.”

Harley blinked back and  forced a smile, but inside her mind was racing as fast as her heart was beating. _Chase?  As in Chase Landry?  As in Chase Landry with a big-ass black truck that looked like the one parked out front?_ It could not be!! Harley felt her stomach roiling, and she bit the inside of her cheek to distract her.  There was no way this was the same Chase Landry!

“He’s 31, Troy, hardly a baby any longer!” Bernita teased playfully as she poked her husband in his considerable stomach. “I’m going inside to get lunch ready. Y’all come up in a few, okay?”

 _Oh god, oh god, oh god!_ Harley would swear she could hear her heart beating,  it was that loud!

“Okay, mama,” Troy answered. He kissed his wife softly and she turned and left, leaving Harley standing there with Troy as his son slowly walked up. Troy turned back around and stared at the man when he was just a few feet away. He seemed reluctant to approach them, and Harley stared at him nervously, willing it to not be the same man. He had his head down, and his ball cap was low, so she couldn’t make out his features, but fuck if it didn't seem to be him.  The same build, the same walk...fuck!

“Damn son, what’s taking you so long?” Troy grumbled. “If you hadn’t been sleeping all day you wouldn’t be so tired!”  The man walked up and finally lifted his head, and Harley nearly fainted right there on the spot when her eyes met his.  He lowered his sunglasses, letting them rest around his neck as he stared over at his father.

_Oh please god no. Please, please, please no, she chanted to herself. It could not be. Please let the earth open up and swallow her whole. This could not be._

“So I see you got your car fixed?” Chase asked her, and she could detect the underlying sarcasm in his voice. 

Oh yes, it was most definitely the asshole from last night. She wanted to kick his smug-ass in his shin!

“Yes I did, thank you,” Harley replied, her tone icy through clenched teeth.  Troy looked between the two of them in confusion.

“Y’all know each other?” He questioned Chase.

“Yeah, I towed her into Franklin last night,” Chase replied easily.  Troy’s eyes got big, and he turned to look at Harley in a bit of shock, and then back at his son.

“You mean…” Troy continued, but Chase cut him off.

“Yes, sir. That’s the one,” Chase interrupted him quietly.

 _“That’s the one, what?_ What does that mean?” Harley asked, no longer willing to sit back and take his shit.

“That you’re the uppity Texan who called me a ‘coonass hillbilly.’” Chase offered bluntly.

“What? I did not!” Harley sputtered, unable to form words that would adequately suffice as a rebuttal as she tried not to die of embarrassment. 

Beside them, Troy started laughing, a deep belly laugh that ordinarily would have probably caused everyone to join in, but not right now - Harley and Chase were too busy glaring at each other.

“I think we need to go inside, and have something to eat so we can settle down, yeah?” Troy clapped his hand on his son’s shoulder in an effort to calm him.

“I’m not hungry,” Chase muttered as he turned and stalked off back towards the boat area.  Troy watched him go, and then turned back to Harley.  She was still glaring at Chase’s back as he retreated back down to the water’s edge.

“Well I’ll be damned!” Troy laughed again. “I ain’t never seen Chase Michael get that out of sorts. What the hell did you do to him?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Harley huffed out indignantly. “He was the one being inappropriate with me.”

“Did my boy do something crazy to you?” Troy asked, and Harley could hear the difference in his tone now.

“Oh no, nothing like that,” she hastily assured him. Troy visibly relaxed. “He’s just very flirtatious when he’s drunk, I think.”

Troy rubbed his chin thoughtfully and turned back to look in the direction to where Chase had gone off too, but then turned back to Harley.

“Let’s go inside, yeah? We can talk a bit, and get some food,” Troy nodded his head up at the house. Harley agreed and followed beside him. 

Anything to get away from that arrogant asshole son of his....


	6. Chapter 6

An hour or so later, Harley was sitting out on the back porch talking with Troy about his job on the show, and how it had changed things for the family. They discussed the good and the bad, and Harley was pretty amazed to learn that Troy really hadn’t changed much since becoming so famous. Sure, he traveled quite a bit, and the show had a large fan-base, but his life and his family’s life was still fairly simple. They’d not bought a huge house, or fancy cars, and they still did all the work they’d previously done; only thing different was the cameras following them around.

“So you’ve got three sons then? Brandon, Jacob, and Chase?” She couldn’t control the grimace as she said the last son’s name.  He still aggravated the piss out of her.

“Yep. Brandon is my step-son, and Jacob and Chase are my own.  Jacob has been running the boats with me for years now, and Chase just started a while back.”

“And what do they think about the show and the fame that’s come with it?” Harley asked as she jotted notes down on her pad.

“Well, just like me, it’s not changed them much. Brandon and Jacob have their little families, and both have babies. Chase is the only one who’s still single.”

“I can’t imagine why,” Harley muttered under her breath, but immediately looked up at Troy in horror at her careless slip. “I am so, so sorry! I didn’t mean that!”

“He sure rubbed you the wrong way, didn’t he?” Troy laughed again. “He’s usually got all the girls chasing after him, so that's a little strange to hear.”

Harley blanched at his words, and mentally chided herself again for being so blunt when speaking about this man’s son.  She was waiting for him to fire her and ask her to leave!

“Look, Mr. Landry, I didn’t mean that. My personal opinion is mine, and I totally apologize for speaking that way. I’m sure Chase is a wonderful man.”

“It’s okay Miss Harley!” Troy replied. “And call me Troy.” He winked at her, and Harley relaxed, seeing that he wasn’t going to hold her insult of his son against her.

“Okay, Troy,” Harley replied shyly.

“So you wanna go out on the swamp now? Have a little tour and see what we do?” Troy stood up and pushed his chair up under the table, and Harley did the same. They both carried their plates to the sink, and Harley stood back, watching with a smile, as Troy washed them off and placed them in the dishwasher.  Bernita had left a while ago to go to the store, so it was just Harley and Troy…and maybe Chase, if he was still here.  Her smiled turned down at the corners at the thought of that.

“You ready?” Troy asked her as he headed to the back door. Once they stepped back out onto the porch, though, he stopped and stared down at her heels. “You can’t go out on a boat with those on.”

Harley looked down at her shoes, wondering why the hell she had worn what she had worn today.  She had on slacks, a nice blouse, and those damn heels – everything you shouldn’t wear when you went to interview the 'King of the Swamp.'

“I don’t have anything else,” she stammered out. “I left my bags back at the inn.”

“You could probably fit some of my wife’s clothes. Would that be okay?” Troy asked as he again rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

“I, mean, I guess, if she doesn’t care?”  Harley shifted uncomfortably in the damned heels.  This couldn't be the way professionals behaved, was it?

“Come on with me. Let’s get you some proper swampin’ clothes.” Troy winked at her again and they both went back into the house to find something for Harley to wear.

* * *

 

A half-hour later, Harley was wearing a tee-shirt and a pair of loose jeans.  Her pant legs were securely tucked into a pair of knee-high waders, and she had a “Choot-em” ball cap on that Troy insisted she wear.  Troy started laughing when she stepped out on the porch.

“Well hell! Now you look like a swamper!” He laughed again as he clapped her on the back. “Let’s go then, Miss Harley.”

Harley followed along behind him, feeling a mixture of relaxation and unease at what was to come.  She was no stranger to the swamps and bayous, having grown up on them herself, but it was never with someone such as reality TV star Troy Landry. She nervously tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear as she waited for him to ready the boat.

“Can you grab that can of gas from over there under the shed?” Troy called to her over his shoulder. “One of the 5-galllon ones.”

“Uhm..okay sure,” Harley called as she turned and walked back to the shed.  She turned the corner and stopped in her tracks. Sitting on the trailer for one of the boats was Chase. He was cutting rope with a knife, and he too, stopped what he was doing when he saw her. His brown eyes were hooded under heavy lashes as he appraised her, and she felt very awkward in his presence. No other way to describe it; he made her uncomfortable.

“Your father sent me to get gas,” Harley hastily explained.  Images of Baby carrying that damn watermelon from _Dirty Dancing_ flashed through her head...

Chase nodded over to the corner that was full of gas cans, and Harley followed his eyes to the variously-sized red cans in the corner. “Any one of those should have gas in it.”

“Okay thanks,” Harley stiffly replied. She walked over and picked up a jug of gas. Or attempted to. This shit was heavy, and she grunted with the strain.

“That’s 10 gallons,” Chase called from his spot.  Smug bastard. 

“I know,” Harley bit out.  She would damned if she would look like a fool in front of this man. She tightened her grip and lifted again, barely getting it off the ground.  How much did 10 gallons of gas weigh???

“You really only need 5 gallons at the most,” Chase remarked casually, but she could hear the amusement in his voice. “You wanna gas the boat up, not sink it…”

Harley turned, hands on hips and glared at him.  Sure enough, he was smirking at her, the bastard.

“You’re an ass, you know that?” Harley glared at him hotly, but he just grinned back as he hopped off the trailer. He walked over to where she was and picked up a 5 gallon gas can and headed down to the dock.  Harley reluctantly followed after him.

“Ho! Chase Michael! Where you been, son?” Troy asked his son as he carried the gas can over and placed it in the boat.

“Cuttin’ line,” Chase replied.  Harley walked up to the pair and stood awkwardly to the side. She felt like such an idiot right now…

“You wanna come with us?” Troy asked Chase. Harley couldn’t contain the sigh of exasperation that escaped, and Troy immediately withdrew his offer. “Maybe you should hang back, son.”

Chase stared pointedly at Harley, and she could see his jaw flexing, but she didn’t care. She glared right back.

“Wastin’ daylight,” Troy interrupted the two. Harley finally looked away.

“Yeah, y’all should go together. Nothing worse than being stuck out on the swamp with someone you dislike so much,” Chase muttered as he turned and walked away. Troy, aggravated at his son’s behavior, looked at Harley apologetically.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into that boy, Miss Harley.” Troy stared after his son.

“It’s okay, really. The feeling is mutual,” Harley practically hissed. She was so damn tired of being ridiculed by that arrogant asshole.

“Alright, enough of this nonsense.” Troy walked over to the boat and held out his hand to help her in. “Let’s get out there and get some peace, okay?”


	7. Chapter 7

For the next few hours, Troy took Harley all over his hunting grounds, showing her the nooks and crannies where he caught his biggest gators. They even checked a few lines, and Harley’s respect for this man and his way of life grew a little higher. Even though she was supposed to be interviewing him, she felt like by the end of the day Troy Landry knew more about her than she knew about him. He knew about her family, and how she grew up along the bayous and swampy area of South East Texas, although she left out her embarrassment and need to escape; Troy didn’t need to know all that.  When they finally pulled up at the dock, the sun was setting, and Harley was exhausted. 

She was not looking forward to the drive back, that was for sure.

She helped Troy drag the boat to the shore, and stood while he tied it off.  Together, they unloaded the supplies, and finally made their way up to the house just as the sun disappeared.  The frogs were calling for rain, and flashes of lightning occasionally lit up the sky.  It looked like a storm was trying to roll in.  Lightning bugs started appearing, and Harley smiled at the memories she had of catching them in jars.  When they walked in the house, the smell of something delicious hit her, and her stomach started growling loudly.

“Y’all finally back?” Bernita called as they headed in the kitchen.

“Hey mama,” Troy planted a kiss on her cheek, and Harley smiled at the pair. They were so cute together, this big strong swamp man and his petite wife. You could see that they loved each other very much.

“Get your dirty hands off, Troy Landry!” Bernita swatted her husband’s hand away from the boudin balls that she had setting on the counter top. “Go clean up first.” She turned to Harley with a smile, and Harley immediately felt self-conscious when she realized that she was wearing Bernita’s clothing.

“I’m sorry…your husband said….” Harley stuttered out, but Bernita waved her off.

“It’s okay, sweetie!” She turned back to the stove. “Did you wanna stay for dinner?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I think I’m gonna head back to my room,” Harley gently declined. No way in hell was she staying here tonight.  Just then, a flash of lightening cracked across the sky, and Harley heard the tell-tale signs of hail pinging the windows.  That storm moved in quicker than they thought. 

“That’s gonna be a bad drive back, honey. We’ve got plenty of room if you’d rather stay here.” Bernita offered as she walked over to the window and peered out.

It was coming down in buckets, and Harley groaned inwardly. She knew driving back to Franklin in this weather - and in the dark - was not a good idea.  She also knew – or thought she did – that that bastard Chase was somewhere here in this house, and she did not want to spend the evening with him. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but opened them when Bernita gently touched her arm.

“Sweetie? It’s okay, really. Whatever you want to do, but I know Troy will have a fit if he finds out you drove back in this weather. The roads are going to be horrible.”

Seeing no way out of it, Harley nodded in resignation. “Okay. I’ll stay, but I’ve gotta get on the road early in the morning if I’m going to make it back to Beaumont.”

Bernita smiled happily, and motioned for Harley to follow her down the hall. She led her up a set of stairs, and Harley was again in awe of the size and beauty of this house. It was all obviously hand-crafted, and she could see the hard work that the Landry’s had put in their house.

“This is Chase’s room here,” Bernita pointed at a door to their right as they passed it, and Harley did her best to ignore that. They stopped at the end of the hall, and Bernita opened the door. “Here’s the guest room. Hardly ever gets used, as you can tell.”

She walked over and pulled the bedsheets back and fluffed the pillows.

“But it’s got your own bathroom through there,” she pointed to the door, “and it’s got towels and shampoo and stuff. I can go down and get your clothes and bring them to you, or I can loan you some pajamas if you’d like?”

Harley  thought about sleeping in her slacks and blouse, but decided against it. Go big, or go home right?

“I’ll take some pj’s if you don’t mind,” she smiled at Bernita.

“Sure thing, sweetie. You can go ahead and shower up if you’d like, and I’ll bring all your clothes up and lay them and the pajamas on the bed for you. When you’re finished, you can come down and eat.”

“Okay,” Harley replied gratefully.

She watched as Bernita closed the door behind her and Harley immediately hopped in the shower, delighting at washing off the sweat and dirt and stress. As relaxed as she was feeling in the shower though, her thoughts inevitably turned to the asshole that she assumed was down the hall. What was it about him that pissed her off so much? He wasn’t an ugly man – far from it. She was not so hard-headed as to deny the man was gorgeous. He had unruly brown hair that peeked out from under his ever-present hat that just begged to be tugged on.  His brown eyes were as soft as a baby deer’s, and just as thickly lashed.  His body, well, that was another thing that made her stomach flip-flop. The man wasn’t incredibly tall – maybe just under 6 feet? - but he was thickly muscled, his forearms and hands thick from years of hard labor. He was broad through the chest and back, and his shoulders narrowed down to a trim waist.

She scrubbed her hair with shampoo, her eyes closed as she remembered the thing about him that turned her knees weak; his smile. That man could smile at her, and it took everything in her to remain mad, or happy, or whatever emotion she was feeling at that moment. Quite literally, he rendered her speechless - and pretty much stupid - when he smiled. He’d only smiled at her a few times, right when they first met, and that image was still burned in her memory. She wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that smile daily….

“Stop it, Harley Dawn,” she chided herself as she shut the shower off. “Just stop right there.” 

She was engaged to be married, and she would do well to remember that little fact.

She climbed out of the shower and dried herself off with the towel, and stood before the mirror.  She looked rough. Her face was blotchy, and a bit wind-burnt from riding through the swamp with Troy. Her hair was no longer straight, the curls kinking up from the shower and humidity of the Louisiana summer. She looked around and found some hairspray, and did her best to scrunch her hair as much as possible. She wished she had a hair band or something to at least put it up in a bun. No make-up, no hair product, and no clothes of her own had left her looking like quite the mess.

Why did she care anyway? It’s not as if Troy and Bernita would care – they were the most down to earth people she’d probably ever met. And Chase? Well, she really didn’t care what he thought about her… _did she?_   She snorted, and placed the hairspray back in the drawer where she’d found it. No, she didn't give a damn what that man thought about her.

Frowning at herself, but realizing there was nothing much more she could do, she carefully opened the door and peeked out into the room. As Bernita had said, all her clothes and pajamas were laying on the bed for her. With a grimace, Harley quickly slipped into her bra again but decided against wearing her panties - that was just a little too gross after being out on the swamp all day. Feeling guilty, but telling herself that they could be washed, Harley slipped into the pajama pants offered by Bernita. She then pulled the tee-shirt on over her head with a frown as she saw the letters and tiger across the front of the shirt. She was definitely not an LSU fan, but it would have to do. She was also surprised to see a travel size stick of deodorant, as well as a toothbrush and a small container of toothpaste. This family was just so sweet, and her assumptions about them had all been completely destroyed in less than a day.  So much for stereotypes, huh?

* * *

 

A few minutes later, when she felt like she was sufficiently dressed and cleaned up, and she headed back down to the kitchen to eat. As she walked into the kitchen, she nearly tripped over the edge of her pajamas when she saw Chase, standing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water by the sink.

Shirtless.

Dear god, the man was shirtless.

His back was facing her, and she watched as he picked at pieces of food off the tray, popping them in his mouth. She could see he was covered in tattoos, some that covered his whole arm, and others that wrapped around his waist and probably onto his chest. His back was broad, tanned from the Louisiana sun, and the smoothness made her fingers itch to reach out and touch him.  What the hell was wrong with her???  She was engaged for God’s sake!!  Chase turned around, a bite of food suspended midway as he stared at Harley.

“Uhmm…your mom said I should come down to eat,” Harley rushed out. She sounded like a complete idiot, and she could feel her cheeks heating under his steady gaze.

“So eat.” He popped the bite of food in his mouth and continued picking at food.

“Should I wait?” Harley asked, slightly annoyed at Chase’s asshole-ish behavior towards her.

“For what?” He popped another bite of food in his mouth as he stared at her.

“Your parents.” Harley scowled at him.

“They already ate. Out on the porch now, watching the rain,” Chase replied.  He filled up a plate and headed over to the table and sat down, completely ignoring her again.  Harley continued scowling at him. The asshole had a shirt – or something – slung over his shoulder. _Couldn’t he put it on??_   She looked around for the plates and silverware.

“Plates are on the counter,” Chase called from the table.

Harley ignored him, but grabbed a plate anyway. She picked up a few items, not really hungry anymore thanks to the asshole, and stiffly carried her plate to the table. She sat down, far away from him, and tried to look anywhere but at him. He just sat there, shirtless, eating and drinking , and laid back in his chair as if he didn’t have a care in the world. It was an uncomfortable situation to say the least.

“Did you have a good time out on the swamp?” Chase broke the silence, causing Harley to nearly choke on the bite of food in her mouth.  She painfully swallowed it down, and took a drink of water.

“Yes. Your father’s a good man, and I really enjoyed myself.”

“That’s good,” Chase replied. He took another sip of his water as he stared over at her. Harley, feeling his eyes on her, looked up.

“What?” She warily stared at him. Chase shrugged as he fiddled with his glass.

“I’m still trying to figure out what I did to piss you off so badly.” He looked up, his brown eyes meeting hers again. He really did have the softest brown eyes she’d ever seen. 

Harley blinked back at him, shocked and unsure of what to say. In hindsight, what had he really done that she hadn’t deserved with her behavior towards him? So he might have been a little flirty? She’d been rude and presumptuous from the get-go.  She still couldn’t believe she’d called him what she did.

“Yeah, I might have been a little mouthy last night, but I didn’t mean anything by it,” Chase continued, seeming to read her mind, and Harley felt more and ashamed at herself as the conversation went on.

“I didn’t know you, Chase, and I just assumed-”

“That I’m a coonass hillbilly?” He arched an eyebrow at her in challenge.

“That may have been overboard, but in my defense I was asleep, okay?” Harley shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

“So, in the light of day, do you still think I’m a coonass hillbilly?” Chase asked, and Harley’s head jerked up at the teasing tone in his voice. His mouth was turned up at the corners in an easy smile.

“Can you stop saying that?” She couldn’t repress her own smile that had crept up.

“Well?” He leaned forward and propped his chin up on his hand as he waited for her answer.

“Maybe just a coonass, but I’ll drop hillbilly.” Harley offered matter-of-factly; she was doing her damnedest not to concede to this man!  Chase laughed and leaned back against his chair, and Harley caught herself smiling a little bigger. Even his laugh was damn-near perfect, and she felt something akin to warmth spread throughout her body at the sound of it.

“Well that’s a start at least.” Chase tipped his head at her with a wink as he took another sip of his water. 

She nearly choked again. What was it about this man? The smiles, the winks, the way he drank his damn water – all were driving her insane. He stood up, carrying his plate to the kitchen, and she had to force herself not to watch him walk away, to not notice how nice his jeans fit around his muscular legs and perfect butt.  Nope. She was not going to look.

Nope, nope, nope.

She shoved another bite of food in her mouth and focused on a spot on the wall as she chewed for all she was worth. Chase walked back to the table, and stopped at his chair.

“I’m gonna head outside with mom and dad. You’re more than welcome to come.”

“Okay, thank you,” Harley replied softly.

Not saying a another word, Chase tapped the table once and walked away, heading towards the back door. This time, Harley had no choice but to watch his perfect ass walk away. He _was_ blocking her view of the back door, after all.

 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

A few minutes later, Harley joined the Landry’s out on the back porch. Troy and Bernita smiled up at her as she walked out, but she avoided looking in Chase’s direction. She was having way too many improper thoughts about that man, and she needed to stop immediately.

“Get her a chair, Chase,” Troy ordered from his spot on the swing that he and his wife were sharing as they rocked slowly. Chase hopped down and dragged a chair over to Harley and brushed it off with his hand.

“Thank you,” Harley said softly as she sat down. Chase said nothing as he walked back over to his spot on the railing next to his father and hopped up again.

He was drinking a Bud Light, and she did her best to not look at him. At least he had his shirt on now, what was left of it anyway. She could see it looked to be an old ratty LSU tee-shirt that he’d cut the sleeves off. From the corner of her eye, she could see the muscles down the side of his ribs through the gaping hole of the shirt.  She hastily looked away for fear of being caught staring.

“So, Troy tells me you’re almost graduated, Harley?” Bernita asked, drawing Harley’s attention back to the older couple. She was so grateful for the distraction!

“Yes, ma’am. Next month. This is my last requirement so that I can graduate and find a job.”

“You’re from the Beaumont area? Are you gonna try to stay local there?”

“Yes. I have a few offers, but nothing concrete yet,” Harley replied.

“I’m sure it’ll all work out for you,” Troy chimed in. “She’s an excellent interviewer, babe.” Troy told his wife with a smile.

“Troy tells me you’re engaged, too?” Bernita asked, and Harley’s eyes immediately went to Chase for whatever reason. He was staring at her intently, with some emotion that she couldn’t make out, but she could see that his whole body had seemed to stiffen, to tense up.  He took another long drink of his beer and looked away.

“Uhm…yeah…he’s a sports reporter for a local station as well,” Harley explained as she looked back to Chase’s parents. She fiddled with the ring on her finger, twisting it around. Why did she feel so embarrassed talking about this in front of Chase? He was nobody to her, and she would never see him again after tomorrow.

“So have you set a date?” Bernita pressed gently, and Harley wanted to scream. The last thing she wanted to talk about was her idiot fiancé who was probably off doing god-knows-what at the moment.

“Nope, no date.” Harley tried to smile, but it was forced at best. That was a definite bone of contention with her and Jeromy.

“Well I can’t imagine a pretty girl like you having to wait too long to be scooped up,” Troy surmised gently.

“I agree,” Bernita added.

Harley blushed and squirmed under their praise, but it was short-lived as Chase loudly crushed his beer can between his fingers, hopped off the railing and headed out into the darkness without a word.  All three on the porch stared after him.

“You need to have a talk with your son, baby,” Troy remarked. “He been acting like an ass all day.”

“He gets it from his daddy,” Bernita remarked to Harley in a loud whisper, causing Troy to snort beside her. Harley did her best to smile, but she couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering off to where Chase had disappeared to, and she couldn’t stop her mind from wondering what he was doing.

 

* * *

 

Sometime after 1am, Harley sat up, clutching her stomach. She was feeling dizzy and a little nauseous. After Chase had left, Troy had offered her some of his homemade moonshine, and like an idiot, she’d accepted.  She wasn’t a very good drinker at all, and that stuff had to be over 100 proof!  After only a few sips – so she thought – she was pretty tipsy, and had excused herself to go upstairs. She knew she wasn’t drunk, but she definitely felt dehydrated. She needed to get some water, and fast. 

She crawled out of bed and grabbed her cell phone for light.  It was so dark here deep in swamp, and she didn’t know her way around the house of course, so this should be interesting.  She slowly opened her door, wincing as it creaked.  Stepping out, she waited for just a few moments to see if her eyes would adjust to the dim light. It was still lightly raining, so the whatever light was coming in from the outside was meager at best. 

She held her breath as she passed by Chase’s room. The fact that he was sleeping a few feet away from her had been a thought she hadn’t been able to shake since she’d gone to bed. She wondered what his room looked like, and what he was wearing, and did he sleep with a pillow? _Was he even in there?_ God! She shook her head at herself and grasped the railing on the staircase and began to descend.  Every damn step seemed to creak, almost as if the stairs were trying to announce she was awake and milling about. When she finally reached the bottom, she stopped, trying to orient herself to the direction of the kitchen. She saw a faint light, and moved towards it, and she was thankful when she realized it was the light from under the stove. Thank god! 

As quiet as possible, she pulled a glass down from the cabinets and filled it with tap water. She had just taken a sip of water when she felt someone walk behind her, causing her to jump and nearly choke. Sputtering, she turned around, and was shocked to see Chase standing near the island, a plate of food in his hand.  Caught red-handed, she set her glass down on the counter top.  What would he think about her creeping around in his house, late at night?

“Hi,” Harley whispered. She was having a hard time focusing on his face since he was again shirtless, only wearing some kind of basketball shorts or something. God, this was just too much. The lord was testing her, she could feel it!

“Hello,” Chase whispered back, and she could see he was grinning.

“I was thirsty,” Harley explained, her loud whisper sounding ridiculously overboard in the too-quiet kitchen.

“I was hungry,” Chase admitted with a chuckle as he held up the plate of food.

“It’s so dark here. I almost fell down the stairs.” Harley whispered again. Why was she whispering, though? Why did she feel like a kid creeping around with her boyfriend in her parent’s house?

“Are you done?” Chase asked as he wiped his plate off and quietly stuck it in the dishwasher. He reached under the island and pulled out two bottles of water, and handed one to her. “Don’t want you to break your neck if you get thirsty again.”

“Very funny,” Harley retorted as she took the bottle from him.  With a grin, he grabbed her glass and dumped it in the sink and put it away as well.

“Come on,” Chase offered her his hand. “I’ll walk you back to your room.”

Swallowing hard, Harley placed her small hand in his much larger one and followed him back through the dark house. She didn’t want to think about what that simple act of holding his hand was doing to her. She couldn’t think about that, because then she’d have to admit that she felt something. Taking a deep breath, she focused on following him through the house, taking care not to bump into anything. Every floor board creaked, and even their breathing sounded loud. The stairs creaked again as they walked up them, and Harley was preparing for Troy or Bernita to come out and demand what was going on. She followed Chase down the hall to her room, and they arrived all too quickly, she thought to herself. She actually felt a little disappointed, if she were to be honest.

“Okay, here ya go,” Chase murmured softly. He opened the door and turned to Harley, but neither made a move. Realizing they were still holding hands, Chase immediately let go. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay!” Harley whispered loudly, shocking herself.

“Well, have a good night, Harley,” Chase murmured again.

“You too, Chase,” Harley breathed out.

Her heart was pounding against her ribs, and she was sure he could hear it. It sounded so damn loud in her ears! Swallowing hard again, she started to scoot past Chase, but with the dark, she couldn’t really see, and she accidentally bumped into him, causing him to reach out and grab her. One hand was on her hip, and the other on her arm, and they were so close that Harley could feel his breath against her face.

“Chase…” she breathed out, and a second later she felt his lips on hers, gentle at first, and then more insistent. She moaned, almost in relief, and brought her hands up to twist in that wonderfully thick hair on his head. It felt exactly like she thought it would, soft and thick, and perfect. Chase groaned into her mouth at her movements, and he gently pushed her back against the door frame, pinning her against it with his hard body. They were devouring each other, their lips and tongues dancing together as each fought to get closer. Chase gripped her hips with his large hands, and Harley felt her knees go weak as the moisture between her legs exploded. Having no panties on made it even more sensitive, and she whimpered into his mouth as he clutched at her hips again, pulling her against him. She could feel his hard erection against her stomach, and that brought her crashing back down into reality. She turned her mouth from his, breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against hers, his own breath ragged as hers. She rested her palms against his chest, and she could feel his chest heaving.

“I can’t do this, Chase,” she whispered into the dark. “I’m engaged.”

Chase took a deep breath, kissed her on her forehead and released her.

“I know.” His voice was low and gravelly, and sounded heavy with disappointment. She knew it was disappointment, because that was what she was feeling too. As soon as he released her, she felt almost empty. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her shoulders as she shivered in the cool night air.

“I’m sorry, Harley,” Chase apologized. “That was wrong of me, and I know better.”

“No, Chase, it’s okay,” Harley assured him. If anyone should have known better, it was her.

“I’m gonna…gonna go to my room now,” Chase stated softly. “I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Okay,” Harley whispered again. She stepped into her room and closed the door, her heart pounding in her chest almost painfully. She shakily walked over to the bed and sat down.

What the hell had just happened?

 


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Harley overslept. 

Big-time. 

She was supposed to be on the road by 8am, but it was after 10am when she finally woke up. She lay in bed, not even caring anymore. The Landry’s probably thought she was the laziest person ever.  And Chase?  Who knows what he thought of her.  She ran her fingers over her lips, still in shock over what happened last night.  She never behaved that way, and not to mention she was fucking engaged to be married! Groaning, she rolled over and slowly sat up.  Her head was pounding; another not so gentle reminder of why she didn’t drink, not even a little. She drank the entire bottle of water, hoping it would do something to ease the pain in her temples. She checked her cell phone and saw no missed calls. Not even one from Jeromy.

God what an asshole he was. Why she was still with him, she had no idea.  She could be dead in a swamp somewhere for all he knew! 

For the next half-hour, she busied herself with showering and getting dressed in her clothes from before. She still looked like a damn mess, but at least she had normal clothes on. As late as it was, all she wanted to do was sneak out before any of the Landry’s could see her, but she was just about one-hundred percent sure that wasn’t going to happen. They were probably all waiting downstairs for her, to see her off.  Checking the room once more, she grabbed her purse and cell and headed downstairs, Bernita’s pajamas in hand.  Just as she suspected, Troy and his wife were sitting at the kitchen table, drinking what appeared to be coffee.

“Well hey! There she is!” Troy smiled up at her.

“You want coffee, sweetie?” Bernita asked. Harley nodded.

“Black, please.”

“That bad, huh?” Troy laughed again. He stood and pulled out a chair, indicating it was for Harley, and she sat down.

“Thank you,” she murmured quietly. “I think the moonshine got to my head a little.”

“You was probably tired from the swamp, and the car, and all that, too,” Troy agreed. “You probably dehydrated, yeah?”

“I think so,” Harley nodded. “Mrs. Landry, here’s your pajamas. Thank you for letting me borrow them.” Harley handed the folded sleep pants to Bernita.

“It was no problem, sweetie.” Bernita laid the pants on the table and sat down herself. “Are you hungry?”

“No thank you,” Harley declined. She needed to get out of here before she saw Chase. “I really need to get on the road I think.”

“Oh that’s a long drive back, yeah?”

“About 4, 4 and half hours I think? Barring my car doesn’t break again,” Harley wryly smiled.

“You got Chase’s number? Call him if it does, he can come get you,” Troy told her.  Hell no she didn't have his number!  “Where is that boy anyways? On the boat?” He questioned Bernita.

“I haven’t seen him. Probably still asleep,” Bernita answered.  She stood up and walked over to the window and looked out back. “Nope. The boat’s still there.  Maybe he's in the shed?"

“No lines to set today, but he usually don't sleep this long.” Troy rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he glanced over at Harley, causing her to shift uncomfortably in her seat.  Yep, it was time to go... like right now.

“Okay, well, Mr. and Mrs. Landry, it’s been a pleasure, but I really need to get going.” Harley stood up and pushed her chair in under the table. Troy and his wife stood as well, and followed her to the front door.

“I hate to see you go,” Troy remarked as they walked out and down the steps. “You’re one of the nicest interviewers that we’ve had.”

“Yes!” Bernita agreed. “If you’re ever in the area, please don’t be afraid to stop by, okay?”

For whatever reason, Harley felt like crying.  She knew this was a job, and she was supposed to be professional, and she barely knew these people,  but Troy and his wife were two of the sweetest people she’d ever met.  Quite frankly, she didn’t want to leave them; going back home to Beaumont was not appealing to her at the moment.  At all.  She looked around, knowing that if she were to be honest with herself, she didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to Chase, either.  She looked back at Troy and Bernita, and she knew right away that they were probably aware of what she was thinking.   She shrugged, not even embarrassed anymore; it was what it was.

“We’ll tell him you said goodbye,” Bernita offered kindly, and Harley forced a smile. 

Yep. She was going to cry, and she had no damn idea why.  Bernita moved forward and hugged her, and Harley squeezed the older woman tightly.  Chase was so lucky to have parents like these two, parents that were functional and available. She hugged Troy next, and with a playful warning from him to make him look good on the news, Harley climbed in her car.  She was just about to put the car in reverse when Troy tapped on her window.

“Yeah?” she rolled it down, doing her best not to let the sadness come through in her voice.  She could breakdown later down the road.

“Pop your hood. Let me check that hose for you before you leave.” He motioned towards the hood as he walked around her car. 

“Oh okay,” Harley nodded and popped the hood. She got out and walked around to the front of the car, and she and Bernita watched Troy tinker with the hoses.

“Go press the gas for me,” Troy ordered as he tugged on a hose. Harley got back in her car and pressed the accelerator.

“Let it go!” Troy called, and Harley released the gas.  Satisfied, Troy closed the hood down and wiped his hands on his jeans as he walked back around to her window. “It looks good to me.”

“Okay,” Harley smiled again. “Thanks again, Mr. Landry.”

“No problem. Hope to see you again,” Troy patted the top of her car as she rolled the window up. 

With a final wave, she backed up, turned around, and headed towards the main road. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, willing herself to stop being so foolish. She pulled out onto the main road, and turned onto the hardball, leaving the Landry’s for good.  She didn’t even know why she was so upset. She thoroughly disliked Chase Landry. He was an asshole, and he was crude, and he was a country boy who worked in the swamp, and he was dirty, and he drank beer…..

“But he was so sweet,” she murmured to no one. 

Yes, he was all those things, but she had provoked him into that each time. He’d tried to be nice to her, and she’d constantly looked down on him like he was white trash, constantly second-guessed and assumed things about him.  Not for the first time did she start to wonder if her black and white, all-or-nothing thinking was causing her to miss out on good things that popped up along her path.  All her life she’d tried to outrun the stigma her family had. The poor, little, dirty Fontenot kids. The ones who didn’t wear shoes in the store and didn’t have clean clothes to wear when school started. The Fontenots who shopped with food stamps when they had them, and never had air conditioning or cable. The Fontenot’s who only had food if they fished for it or hunted for it. The river rats, they were called, since their trailer was nestled down along the Neches River. Having the lights shut off and no way to shower except for the river.

She remembered being called white trash daily by kids on the bus, and she swore she’d get as far away from that type of life as soon as she could. She always knew her family had problems, but it was never more apparent than after her father died from complications with alcohol. Her mother had spiraled off into God knows where, with diagnoses of bipolar to schizophrenia being tossed about. Now, she lived in a one-bedroom trailer down in the bad end of town, and Harley could barely bring herself to go down there, so filthy it was.  Even Jeromy didn’t know about her mother; it was her best kept secret.

Jeromy's background was totally different. His family had money. They were all college-educated, and all had good jobs. They had nice houses and nice cars – everything that Harley wanted for herself.  Jeromy’s parents offered to pay for the wedding at the Beau Reve,  and it had already been announced in the Beaumont Enterprise.  It was all going to be so perfect, just exactly what she’d always wanted.   Jeromy was everything she'd always wanted growing up, and he had the kind of life that she had always envied.  Everything she thought she wanted, at least...

Since the time she’d broken down on that damn bridge and had to fix her car herself, to staying with the Landry’s and now leaving, she’d been yet again questioning who she was as a person. For the past year or so, that had been a running theme in her head: who was she, and what did she want out of life?  The Landry’s had shown her that it was okay to be who you were.  Troy Landry didn’t care that his house wasn’t a mansion. They didn’t have the finest furnishings, but they had love. She’d tried to escape her family for so long, never seeing any good in it, but being back out here on the swamp had shown her that she had much to be thankful for with her upbringing.  She could still be who she was without the bad stuff. It didn’t have to be black or white as it had been for so long.  She didn't have to pretend to be someone else.


	10. Chapter 10

As she came up on Duffy’s on Hwy 70, the Landry family convenience store, her thoughts turned back to Chase.  Feeling sadder than ever, she pulled in the parking lot. She could use a bottle of water and maybe some snacks for the road.  Walking into the store, she was greeted by a young girl behind the register.

“Can I help you with anything?” the girl asked.

“No. Just looking, thanks,” Harley replied. She browsed the drinks, settling on a bottle of water and an iced coffee. As she walked up to the register, she saw along the wall photos of the Landry family.  There he was.  Chase with two men who she assumed were his brothers. Chase with Troy. Troy with alligators he’d caught and brought in. A huge family portrait, with all the Landry’s and grandkids.

“That’s my Uncle Troy and cousins,” the girl smiled as she walked up to Harley. She pointed each of them out. “Troy, Jacob, Brandon, and Chase.”

“They seem like nice people,” Harley smiled down at the girl, and she smiled back.

“Yes they are.” The girl walked back behind the register and started messing with her phone again.

Harley took one last look and headed to pay, but did grab a bag of M&M’s.  She was going to need chocolate for sure. When she got to the register, she saw group and individual photos of the Landry’s.

“What are these for?” Harley asked as she picked up a group photo; she couldn’t look at the picture of Chase.

“Oh we get fans of the show coming in, asking for photos and such.”

“So they’re for sale then?” Harley looked up, and the girl nodded.

“Yep.”

Feeling like a teenager, Harley snatched up one of each.  She didn’t want the girl to think she was just buying Chase’s pic!

“Okay, I’ll take these, too,” Harley mumbled as she pushed the drinks, candy, and photos forward.  The girl rang her up, obviously used to people buying photos of her family.

A few minutes later, when Harley was back in the privacy of her car, she quickly pulled out the pic of Chase and stared at it. He was so damn handsome. In this picture,  he was the serious alligator hunter, but she’d seen that chiseled jaw morph into a knee-weakening smile. Those beautiful brown eyes were dead serious in this image, but she’d seen how soft and gentle they could be when he spoke to you. His lips were taut here, but she remembered vividly what those soft lips felt like against hers last night, and what those big hands felt like as they pulled her to him.  While this image was stunning, she felt like she’d met the real Chase last night.

God.

She leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Seemingly in a matter of no time, she’d developed this huge crush on this man that she would most likely never see again. Now she was going to have to start watching _Swamp People_ just to get a glimpse of him. God….

She jumped when someone tapped on the window, and she jumped again when she saw Chase standing outside her car, grinning down at her.  Flustered, she quickly rolled her window down.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him breathlessly.

“I own this place,” he laughed. His eyes landed on the photos still in her lap, leaning against the steering wheel, and she scooped them up in embarrassment.

“Those are for my article…my story…” she stammered out, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment.

“You missed me that much?” Chase arched an eyebrow at her, and she glared back at him.

“Of course not. I left didn’t, I?” Harley challenged him back.

“And of all the places to stop, you had to stop here?” He grinned again.  Harley just now noticed he was still wearing that damn scrap of a tee-shirt, the bastard. Didn’t he have normal clothes he could wear, instead of running around half-naked?

“Whatever. There’s so many places to stop around here, right?” Harley countered, but she couldn’t be angry. She was so damn happy to see him!  There, she’d admitted it - she was happy to see him, and now she looked up at him curiously.

“Where were you when I was leaving?”

“I was messing around with the boat, but I knew you were leaving,” he admitted. He looked down at the ground and kicked some dirt around with his flip-flop.

“Then why didn’t you come say bye to me?” Harley softly asked.  He looked back up at her with those damn puppy-dog brown eyes and she melted a little.

“Cause I didn’t want to see you go.” He shrugged his broad shoulders.

“So how did you…” Harley looked around, and then back at him.

“I got in my truck and followed you.  I don’t know how long I was gonna follow you, but I’m sure glad you turned off here.” He was smiling again, and Harley would swear he was blushing.  He _was_ blushing and it had to be the cutest thing she’d ever seen.

“You followed me?” She couldn’t stop grinning, and now he was grinning back, and they were both grinning like idiots in the parking lot.

“Well, I was going this way, and…” he teased, grinning even bigger when Harley’s eyes narrowed on him.  He leaned down and placed his hands on the window sill of her car. “Can you get out for a bit? Do you have to go back now?”

Just like that, reality slapped her in the face again, and her smile faded. She looked down at her dash, and saw that it was almost noon now. “I really need to get back, Chase.”

“For what? You got to go to work? It’s Friday now, and you’ve already wasted a day here,” he argued back. “If you’re car wasn’t fixed, you’d still be stuck in Franklin.”

Harley took a deep breath and looked down at her lap, staring at the engagement ring on her finger. Chase saw where she was looking, and he sighed and stood back up, arms crossed over his chest.

“You kissed me back last night.” He pointed out softly.

“I know I did,” Harley agreed.  She couldn’t meet his eyes, and she continued to stare down at her ring, twisting it around her finger. Everything inside her was telling her to stay here for just a little longer, but she knew it was wrong.  It was so, so wrong, even if Jeromy didn’t seem to care that she wasn’t yet home.

“Just stay a little longer,” he gently pleaded. “I wanna take you out on the boat, show you some things.  Then you can leave. I promise.”

Harley looked up at him, and as soon as she saw the look in his eyes, she knew she was done for.  Jeromy hadn’t called her, or texted her, so he didn’t care obviously.  What was one more day with a friend when her fiancé obviously didn’t give a fuck where she was at?

“Okay,” she shyly smiled up at him, and was rewarded with a huge smile in return.  Chase reached down and opened her door, and she  climbed out, and before she could react, he had wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, lifting her up off the ground.  She slapped at his shoulders as she tried to get him to release her.

“Put me down, oh my god!” She was trying to be serious, but she couldn’t stop laughing at his behavior. He could go from serious, alligator hunter, to giant 5 year old man-child in two seconds flat.  He put her down, and stood back with a smile.

“You’re gonna have fun with me,” Chase promised.

“Well, before we have fun, I have to go back to my hotel room and get my clothes.” She looked down at herself. “I can’t do anything in this.” Slacks and heels would not do well in the boat.

“Yeah, you definitely need less clothes,” Chase murmured as he looked her up and down appreciatively.

“And there you go again, Chase Landry!” Harley screwed up her lips at him. He looked back up at her, brown eyes glinting with mischief, and again she found it hard to remain mad at him. He was too damn cute.

“You’re right. I’ll quit,” he vowed as he placed a hand over his heart. “You wanna take my truck or your car?”

“To where?”

“Your room,” Chase answered.

“You’re coming with me?” Harley asked in disbelief.

“I said we were spending the day together, so yes.” He jerked his head towards his truck. “Get your stuff and let’s go. It’ll be easier in my truck.”

Without disagreeing, Harley reached in and grabbed her purse and cellphone, and rolled the window back up. She locked the door and followed Chase to his truck. He held the door open for her and waited til she was seated before he closed it and came around to the driver’s side. He smiled over at her as he buckled, and this time she smiled back. It was so different from the last time they rode together, and that was the day before last!

“Alright, let’s go get you outta those clothes,” Chase winked over at her, and Harley could only shake her head at him. The man was impossible.


	11. Chapter 11

They arrived at her hotel a little while later, and Chase followed behind her into the room.  She tossed her keys on the table by the television and kicked her heels off in relief. Chase flopped down on her bed.

“Should I take a shower?” Harley asked Chase.  He leaned his head up and looked at her like she was crazy.

“We’re going out on a boat, baby. Put on somethin’ you can get dirty in.” He winked at her again, and started laughing as Harley reached over and threw a pillow at his face.  He caught it and placed it over his face.

“You’re impossible.” She grabbed her suitcase and began rummaging through it, searching for something to wear.  She was going to completely ignore the fact that the man had just called her 'baby'.   “Jeans and a tee-shirt do?”

“Yep,” he mumbled from under the pillow.

Harley grabbed her things and headed to the bathroom to change. She was finally able to brush her hair, and put it up in a messy bun on top of her head. She washed her face and applied some moisturizer, and more deodorant, and finally felt a little better about herself. She stepped back out and was momentarily stunned at the sight of Chase Landry laying on her bed. The pillow was still covering his face, and his shirt had ridden up from the band of his jeans, revealing a delicious patch of skin along his waist.  Moving closer, she realized he was asleep.  She sat down on the bed and nudged him with her hand.

“Chase?” She nudged him again and pulled the pillow off his face. “Chase!”

He finally opened his eyes, and turned to look at her and holy shit if he didn’t stop her heart again. Chase Landry waking up, looking all sleepy with heavy, brown eyes was probably the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. 

“You ready?” he groggily asked her, causing Harley to laugh.

“I’m waiting on you, mister.”  She stood up, slipped her feet in her flip flops and grabbed her cell and purse. She had packed a tiny backpack full of clothes and toiletries - just in case - and she slipped that over her shoulder.  Chase sat up, stretching his arms as he tried to wake up.  He finally stood, and adjusted his ball cap as he dug his keys out of his pocket.

“That bed is comfortable,” he chuckled as he caught Harley staring impatiently at him.

“Well someone said they were taking me out on a boat, and that I couldn’t go back to Texas today, so…”

“Alright, woman!” Chase growled playfully. “Let’s go then.”

She followed him back out to the truck, and they headed back to Pierre Part.  Along the way, they made idle chit-chat, and Harley thought that they both might have been a little nervous. What were they doing really?  _What was she doing?_   Her anxiety started rising every time she thought about explaining this to Jeromy, but then in the same moment, she reminded herself that he didn’t care.  He’d not called her, and he’d not texted, so he obviously didn’t care what she was doing or who she was doing it with.  When they finally pulled back into the Landry’s driveway, Harley really got nervous, and she looked over at Chase.

“What are your parents going to say? Don’t you think this is insane?” She was talking fast, as she did when she was really anxious. “I came here to interview your dad, and so far I’ve spent the night, borrowed your mom’s pj’s, and now I’m back again.  Oh my god.” She chewed on her fingernail nervously. Chase laughed at her from his seat.

“You’re crazy. They’ll be happy.” Chase backed the truck up under a tall oak and put it in park. “They really liked you, so they’ll be happy I kidnapped you.”

“Is that what this is?” Harley asked him shyly. “A kidnapping?”

Chase nodded. “If that’s what it takes, then yeah.”

Harley didn’t know how to respond to that, so she left it alone. Chase hopped out and walked around to open her door and help her out. She still wasn’t used to that - him opening the door for her -  but she was getting there. He grabbed her small backpack and the two of them walked up to the house, and up the stairs.  It felt completely different this time; she was no longer here on business.  She really had no idea why she was here again, but here she was…


	12. Chapter 12

“Look what I found down at the store,” Chase called as he and Harley walked into the kitchen. Troy and Bernita were again sitting at the table.

“What the hell?” Troy stood up, smiling from ear to ear. “Come over here, girl!”

Blushing, Harley walked over into Troy’s arms and gave him a hug.  Bernita held her arms up and Harley moved in for another hug from her.

“How the hell did you manage that?” Troy asked his son.  Chase dropped Harley’s bag on the floor next to the table as he sat down.

“She was waiting for me at the store,” Chase winked over at Harley, causing her to gasp in mock indignation.

“Actually, I was getting something to drink, and he pulled up, and begged me to come back,” Harley countered with an arched brow.  Chase held his hands up in agreement, dimples on display as he smiled.

 

“That’s about it, right there.”

“Well, I for one am glad you’re back, sweetie,” Bernita smiled up at her.  Harley walked over and sat in the chair next to Chase’s mother.

“So what y’all doing today, then?” Troy asked the pair, looking between his son and Harley.

“I thought I would take her out with me to check some lines,” Chase answered.  This time Harley did gasp, and this time it was for real.

“Check lines? Like check for alligators?” Her eyes were as big as saucers as she stared across the table at Chase. He nodded.

“You think that’s a good idea, Chase Michael?” Bernita asked, concerned as well.

“We’re just gonna go look,” Chase backtracked a bit as he looked over at Harley. “Probably nothing out there anyway, but if you don’t wanna do that, we can find something else to do.”

Harley worried her lower lip between her teeth for a moment, but then decided to hell with it. Nothing she had planned for had happened anyway, so why not just throw caution to the wind and try everything that came her way?

“Okay,” she nodded. “If you think it’s okay, I’ll go.”

Chase smiled across the table at her, and she shyly smiled back.  It was a weird moment that passed between the two of them, and Harley was acutely aware that Chase’s parents were watching them, probably just as confused as she was.  Chase slapped his hands on the table and stood up.

“Okay, let’s go then.” Chase adjusted his cap as he walked over to the counter and grabbed the hat Harley had worn the day prior.  He handed it to her, and she put it on.  "You ready?"

She nodded up at him, her smile hiding the fact that she was nervous as hell to be out on a boat with him. Alone.

Troy walked with the pair down to the dock and helped them load the boat, and Harley watched with interest as Chase and his father loaded up all the things they’d need. The last thing they brought on board was the rifle. Troy handed it to Chase, along with a box of ammo, and Chase placed it in the boat as he stepped in. He held his hand out to her to help her in.

“Y’all be careful out there, Chase Michael,” Troy warned his son as he guided Harley into the boat beside him.  She sat down on the bench in front of where Chase would captain the boat. She was getting even more nervous now, to be honest.

“Yes, sir,” Chase replied. “We’ll be back before dark, don’t worry.”

“You got your radio?” Troy asked as Chase untied the boat.

“Yep. Cell phones too.” Chase used the pole to push the boat out into the water. “We got everything we need, daddy. Don’t worry.”

“Well okay then.” Troy nodded at the pair, but stood at the dock to see them off.  Chase started the engine and off they went down the bayou.


	13. Chapter 13

Some time later, Chase had maneuvered them down the bayou and out into the open on Lake Verret. He shut the engine off, causing Harley to look back at him in surprise.

“Why are we stopping?” she asked him. “I thought we were checking lines.”

Chase grinned as he grabbed the cooler he’d brought with him and drug it over to her. He opened it, and inside she saw sandwiches, chips, drinks, and cookies. She looked up at him in surprise.

“I figured we could spend a little time out here, have a bite to eat, that kinda thing.” He shrugged, and Harley would swear he was blushing again. He busied himself with pulling things out of the cooler and setting them on the bench between them.

“Is this like a picnic?”

“It’s a swamp-nic,” Chase looked up at her again from under his lashes, and she had this insane urge to kiss him.  Like really, really insane, and she very nearly acted on the urge. He was so damn adorable.

“Thank you, Chase,” she murmured quietly. She looked around the lake, closing her eyes as she felt the late summer sun warming her skin. “I think this is exactly what I needed today.” She opened her eyes to see him staring at her.

“Really? I was worried you’d think it was stupid.”

“It’s perfect,” she assured him with a smile. “What kind of sandwiches do you have there?”

“Not sure what my mama put in here,” he held up a sandwich to inspect it, “but I’m sure there’s something you’ll like.” He handed her one, and Harley opened it.

“Shrimp on mine.” She took a bite, sighing in delight at how good it was. Chase’s mama could cook, that was for damn sure.

“I got crawfish here,” Chase said as he, too, took a bite.

“So we got shrimp and crawfish po-boys. What else is in there?”

“Uhm, Doritos and sour cream and onion,” Chase grimaced as he held up the chips.  Harley wrinkled her nose.

“No Dorito breath for me,” she giggled as she took another bite of her sandwich. “I’m good with this.”

“Yeah me too,” Chase replied as he settled back against the seat. They both ate their sandwiches in companionable silence, watching as the waves came in and out and other boaters passing by. Some of the people Chase knew, others he didn’t.  As Harley started nearing the end of her sandwich, she started to feel uncomfortable; with no food to eat, they’d have to talk. The elephant in the room was right there on her finger, and she’d caught Chase staring at it more than once.  As if he read her mind, he asked her the question she’d been dreading.

“So tell me about your fiancé?” he asked. Harley could hear it in his tone that he was only asking that question out of respect for her. She knew he didn’t want to talk about that any more than she did.

“What about him?” Harley asked carefully.  She took a sip of water, trying to calm her nerves as she navigated this conversation with Chase.

“What’s he do for a living, where’s he from, how’d y’all meet….that kinda stuff,” Chase replied.

“Uhm…he’s a sports reporter for one of the local stations, he’s 36, and we met at a bar.”

“A bar?” Chase asked curiously.

“Yes, a bar. I was out with my girlfriends, and he was there, and we started talking, and now we’re engaged.” She took another drink of water, wishing this conversation could end.

“Sounds really exciting,” Chase muttered under his breath, causing Harley’s head to jerk up at him, her eyes flashing angrily.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I guess,” Chase shrugged again. He balled up the remainder of his sandwich and put it in the bag designated for trash. Harley did the same, and handed hers to him.

“Why did you bring me out here Chase?” She asked him point-blank; no sense in beating around the bush.

“Why did you come back?” He countered easily.  They stared at each other for a few tense moments, but finally Harley looked away, unable to take it any longer. Her chin started trembling, and she bit at her lower lip to keep from crying.

“Harley?” Chase reached out to her, but she turned away from him, wiping at her cheeks at the damn tears that escaped regardless. She felt the boat rock as he moved to sit next to her, and the next thing she knew he had his arms wrapped around her, pulling her back into his chest as he rested his chin against her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Harley,” he whispered against her hair. “I’m a jerk, and I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”

“No, it’s okay,” she sniffled. “If anyone’s a jerk, it’s Jeromy. You know he hasn’t called me not once since I’ve been here? “ She felt Chase stiffen behind her, but she continued on. “When I broke down, I called him, and he basically blew me off.” She laughed sarcastically. “Out drinking with Ronnie as usual. Then, this whole time, not one text or phone call asking where I was or if I was okay.”

“I’m so sorry, Harley,” Chase repeated, not knowing what else to say.

“And then I come here, and your family’s so nice to me, and you’re so nice to me, and I don’t want to leave, you know?” She was full-on crying now, unloading all the stress and anxiety that she’d been carrying around for so long. “I just don’t want to go back to that life.”

“Then don’t,” Chase hugged her tighter against his chest, and for a moment Harley contemplated doing just that. She didn’t want to go back. She was tired of trying to stay one step ahead of everything, tired of trying to be someone she wasn’t. That wasn't reality, though.  She had a life in Beaumont - a fiance, a house, a career; she just couldn't hide out in the swamp with Chase Landry.

“I have to, Chase,” she whispered sadly. She bowed her head and closed her eyes, and they sat there, holding each other for some time as the boat rocked softly. When Harley finally stopped crying, she patted Chase’s hand, indicating that he could let go. She turned around, smiling weakly as her blood-shot eyes met his. He smiled back and tenderly tucked a curl back behind her ear.

“I’m sorry, Chase.”  They both knew she was apologizing for more than just crying.

“Hey now, don’t be sayin’ all that.” He reached down and grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his. “You’ve got nothin’ to be sorry about.”

“I feel like you want something from me that I can’t give you.”  She stared down at their joined hands, and then looked back up at him.   How had things gotten so complicated so quickly?

“Well you can’t always get what you want, right?” He gave her a humorless half-smile, and again she felt like crying all over again.

“Why couldn’t I have met you before?” Her tone was wistful as she turned to look out over the water.  Without answering, Chase moved back to the engine and started it.  She could tell their day was over, and this made her even sadder that it had to end like this.  

"We gonna head back, okay?" Chase said as he took his place by the engine.  Unable to speak, Harley gave him a thumbs up over her shoulder, indicating that she was ready to go back.

That was one of the biggest lies she ever told herself....

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

They returned to the house that evening, both in a very different state of mind than when they’d left.  It was after 6pm, and again it was raining as it did late in the summer in Louisiana, soaking them before they had even gotten back. They’d not discussed it, but it was an unspoken agreement that Harley was spending the night again.  As they trudged up the bank and back to the house, Chase finally spoke, breaking the silence that had settled upon them during the ride back.

“All that stuff….Harley…I’m sorry, okay?” He stopped, halting her with a hand at her elbow. “I really like you, but I’m not asking you to do anything…crazy…okay?”

“I know, Chase,” Harley offered a weak smile up at him.

“I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable here tonight, okay?”

“It’s fine, Chase, really,” she assured him.  _It wasn’t fine, and she was confused as hell, but she wasn’t going to tell him that._   She really just wanted to go to the guest room, take a shower, and lick her wounds in peace.  She had never been so unsure of anything in her entire life, and her thoughts and emotions were scaring the shit out of her.  Chase Landry was not supposed to be part of the equation, and now that he was here, she didn’t know how to deal with it.

“Okay.” He smiled, relieved. “Let’s get something to eat then?”

“Sure,” she agreed, and the two of them walked up to the house.  As usual, Troy and Bernita were sitting on the back porch, rocking on the swing as the pair approached.

“Finally!” Troy grumbled. “Damn son, your mama been worried sick over you!”

“I know, I know. We got caught in the rain, took us a little longer is all,” Chase explained.

“You alright, Harley?” Troy looked over at her in concern.  Did she look that bad? 

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Harley dismissed his concern with a wave of her hand. “A little rain never hurt anyone, right?”

Bernita was staring at her intently, and Harley felt like she needed to look away lest the older woman saw through her ruse.  Chase sat silently staring at her, as did Troy, and Harley was ready to jump out of her skin at the unwanted attention. Thankfully, Chase’s mother intervened, saving her from breaking down on the porch.

“Why don’t you go take a shower, Harley? Get yourself warmed up?” Bernita stood up and walked over to her and took her by the arm. “You’re freezing to death, sweetie!”

“I’m fine, really,” Harley replied, but she could hear the tremor in her voice, and she desperately hoped Bernita was the only one who heard it besides herself. With a gentle smile, Bernita led Harley in the house and away from the men.

“Harley, are you alright, sweetie?” Chase’s mother asked her when they were out of earshot of Troy and Chase.

“No, no I’m not,” Harley admitted sadly. “I just need to go take a shower, and I need to go home, okay?”

“Did something happen out there, Harley?” Bernita asked her, brows drawn together uneasily.  “Did Chase do something?”

“Oh, no! Nothing like that,” Harley sniffled as she wiped at her nose. “He’s the perfect gentleman, a really good guy. Nothing like that at all.”

“Are you sure?” Bernita pressed again.  Harley brought her hand up to her mouth to hide the way her lips were twisting with emotion.

“I’m engaged, you know? I’m engaged and I shouldn’t be here, and I need to go home.” Harley mumbled from behind her hand. She was doing her best to not cry, but it was becoming impossible with Bernita looking at her like she did.  God, she’d not had a motherly figure in so long, what with her mom being sick, and Bernita was here, and all Harley wanted to do was pour her heart and soul out to this woman that she barely knew!

“I think I understand, sweetie.” Chase’s mother smiled up at her kindly – knowingly - and Harley had to resist the urge to rush into her arms.

“I’m going to go shower, I think,” Harley whispered. “Please tell Mr. Landry and Chase good night for me?”

“Okay, honey.” Bernita grasped her hand and patted it lightly. “I’ll leave a plate of food for you in the fridge, just in case.”

“Thank you,” Harley whispered again as she looked up at Bernita, blinking rapidly at the tears in her eyes.  The older woman’s face melted into a sympathetic smile, and she pulled Harley into her arms.

“Oh sweetie, it’ll be okay,” she murmured as she patted Harley’s back soothingly.

“I’m so confused,” Harley mumbled against Bernita’s shoulder. “I just don’t know anymore.”

“Harley, sweetie, sometimes people come into our lives to show us what we’ve got, and sometimes they come into our lives to show us what we’re missing.” Bernita pulled back and stared up the younger woman. “Only you know which one fits for you.”

Harley nodded, wiped at her eyes, and pulled away without another word.  She headed up the stairs and into the guest room, locking the door behind her.  An hour later, she was showered and huddled under her sheets, wide awake as she wondered where Chase was and what he was thinking.  She was honest when she admitted to Bernita that she was confused, because she surely was. Back home, she had a fiancé, a job, a life – everything – and yet she’d come back to the Landry’s, almost as if she were unable to leave.  She came here to do a job, and now she was whimpering in her room, alone, and wondering about the man down the hall. 

How in the world had things shifted so much in just a few days? Quite literally a few days! The first day she met him, she hated everything about him...or at least she thought she did. Even then, she thought he was handsome, but an asshole, someone beneath her even.  Over a few short days, she’d seen him behave in ways that totally negated her views of him. Not to mention the sexual tension that had been between them from the beginning. That she could admit - she’d been attracted to him since the moment she saw him on the bridge; even when she hated him, she still thought him gorgeous.  He had some kind of pull that she couldn’t deny, and the more she was around him, the more she felt it.  She’d of course had sex before, and she’d been kissed, but that short kiss in the hallway that night with Chase was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. She’d never been kissed like that. Up until then, she’d never wanted someone to kiss her as badly as she wanted Chase to.  It was sad, but she had felt more passion in that short moment with Chase than she’d ever felt with Jeromy, and that scared the absolute shit out of her.

She had started to question everything, the _what-if's_ driving her insane. What if she was making a monumental mistake in marrying Jeromy?  What if she was settling? What if she would never, ever be kissed again like she had been when Chase kissed her?  What would she accomplish by marrying Jeromy?  Would he magically become the man of her dreams, or was she settling for less than she should?  She had never questioned that before, never wondered if she was choosing the right man to marry.  At least not until she’d met Chase Landry, and he’d come into her life like a hurricane and flipped everything on end. 

She was so damn confused.

She picked up her cell phone, staring at it, again shaking her head at the fact that she’d still not heard from Jeromy. Granted, she’d not tried to call him, but he’d not called her either. What the fuck was he doing that he couldn’t call her and at least make sure she was still alive?  Annoyed, she scrolled through her pictures, smiling broadly when she found the first pic of her and Chase. They’d exchanged numbers while out on the boat, and had taken a few silly pictures afterwards.  His smile, his beautiful brown eyes, the way he laughed and his playful nature…all things she was going to sorely miss when she was gone. Catching a glimpse of herself with Chase, she wondered what if she never smiled like that again with Jeromy? 

Sighing, she dropped her cell on her chest and closed her eyes in frustration. She could hear the rain coming down harder and harder, and the thunder shook the house as it rumbled through. She absolutely hated being alone in storms. Even worse when she was in someone else's house in a completely different state!

The lighting flashed across the sky again, illuminating the room, and Harley sat straight up in her bed at the loud clap of thunder that followed. She stared over at the window, her heart pounding as the tree branch outside lashed at the glass. Without thinking, she grabbed her cell phone and crawled back under her sheet.

**Harley: Are you awake?**

**Chase: I am now. Why?**

**Harley: It’s raining bad.**

**Chase: I know.**

**Harley: I’m freaking out**

**Chase: Hold on**

She lay there, cowering under her sheets, until she felt Chase sit on the bed.

“Harley?” He spoke softly as he tugged on the sheet.

“Yes?” she squeaked out. She heard him chuckle beside her.

“Are you okay?”

“No. I hate storms like this.” She lowered the covers slightly, and peeked up at him. “Will you stay with me for a little while?”

He didn’t say anything for a few moments, and she wondered if he was going to leave her alone, but then he scooted down and lay on the bed next to her.

“I’ll stay til the storm dies down.”

“Thank you,” she smiled up at him gratefully.

“You’re crazy,” he laughed softly as he scooted down a little lower and propped an arm underneath his head. “Go to sleep, Harley.”

“Yes, sir,” she giggled from under her sheet.

“Brat.” Harley giggled again, but closed her eyes and snuggled into her pillow, feeling safe once again with Chase beside her. It wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

It was hot, and she was sweating. She swiped a hand over her face and pushed her hair back, wondering why she was so hot. Her hand came into contact with a warm body, and she realized Chase was still there, next to her in bed. He was facing away from her, and she was tucked in behind him, her face having been right against his back. Her body immediately became aware of him as she further woke, and she had to force herself to not reach out and touch his back again. He was right there, so close, and so warm.

She bit at her lip as her thoughts raced. She knew that she wanted him, probably more than she’d ever wanted anyone - to include Jeromy – but did Chase want her?  He had sent her so many mixed messages throughout the past few days, and she couldn’t be sure. She knew, however, that she’d never have another opportunity like this one if she let it pass by. Should she let him sleep, or should she try to wake him up? Her body was burning up, and she knew it had nothing to do with the humidity; it had everything to do with this man lying next to her.

To hell with consequences.

“Chase?” Harley whispered in the dark. He rolled over, facing her. He obviously hadn’t been too asleep if he responded that quickly.

“Yeah?”

“Will you kiss me?” Harley whispered again, throat clenched tight with nervousness.  Chase reached out and cupped her cheek with his hand, tracing the rough pad of his thumb over her skin softly.

“If I kissed you now I wouldn’t want to stop.” Chase cautioned her, his voice low.

“I wouldn’t want you to,” she whispered.  Ignoring all rational thought, she scooted closer to him, wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his bare chest. God, he smelled so good, and he was so very warm, and it was exactly how she imagined it would be to be this close to him. Feeling bolder, she kissed the spot at the base of his neck, lingering as she breathed against the skin there.  She could feel his heartbeat quicken at the base of his throat as her lips pressed against him. 

“Harley…” Chase warned her,  his fingers tight against her hip to maintain some distance. He was stiff as a board against her, his body taut as he struggled to control himself.

“Please,” Harley murmured against his skin as she kissed him along his jaw and slid her fingers up his chest.  She felt him jerk at her movements, his body twitching when she got too close to an already hard nipple  When she rubbed her thumb over him, she felt his fingers bite into her hip almost painfully.  With a strangled groan, Chase pushed her over, and then his lips were on hers.  His large hand cupped her cheek, and Harley wrapped her hands around the back of his head, holding him to her lest he should leave.  She squirmed against him, wanting to feel his body against hers, but he still held himself back from her.  Frustrated, she pulled back out of his kiss and stared up at him, her eyes searching his.

“We shouldn’t be doing this, Harley.” He closed his eyes and turned his head away from her as he rolled off and onto his back. 

Harley lay next to him in shock, and not a little anger. She didn’t know whether she should get up and leave, or jump on him, or what she should do.  Did he not want her? Had she misjudged this that badly?

“Do you understand what happens if we do this?” Chase intruded into her thoughts, his voice strained in the dark. Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the room, and Chase rolled back over, onto his side, and stared at her.

“Do you?” He asked her again.

“People do it all the time, Chase,” she whispered, trying to justify it while blinking back hot tears of frustration and embarrassment.

“Not you, baby.” He reached over and grabbed the hand with her engagement ring and held it up. “This, Harley. This is the problem. Don’t you understand that?”

Harley jerked her hand from his grasp and sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.  Without a word, she shakily reached down and pulled the ring off her finger and set it on the nightstand next to the bed. It was the first time she’d ever taken it off since it had been placed on her finger over two years ago.  She was still shaking when she turned back to Chase and grabbed his hand, rubbing her fingers against his to show him what she’d done.

“Now it’s not,” she whispered again, her words tremulous as she waited for his reaction.

“Harley-”

“Don’t you want me?” she interrupted him, her voice hitching with need.

“More than anything,” he answered, “but not like this.”

“Then what?” Harley cried.  She felt so pathetic right now. Wanting someone so badly, but having them reject you was one of the hardest things she’d ever experienced.

“Put your ring back on, baby,” Chase muttered as he crawled out of her bed. He sat on the edge, hunched over, wearily rubbing his face with his hand. “I can’t do this, Harley. Not like this. Not with you.”

“Then go,” Harley hissed angrily.  She turned over, facing away from him, as she pulled the sheet up around her neck. She was feeling queasy now, shaking with disgust at having thrown herself at him like that.

“I don’t want it to be this way.” His sounded defeated, and Harley wondered if he felt as bad as she did.

“Please just go,” she whispered.  She felt like she needed to scream in frustration and anger and sadness, and she was very worried that if he continued talking she just might. After what felt like an eternity, she felt the bed shift as he stood up.

“I’m sorry, Harley.”

A few moments passed, but she didn’t answer him. She knew she couldn’t answer him without breaking down, and so she wasn’t even going to try. She held her breath until she heard the door close behind him, and then he was gone.  Just like that. 

She waited for just a few moments, and sat up and looked around the room. She was feeling almost numb now. She slid out of bed and turned on the light and began packing her things. She would wait for few minutes to ensure Chase was not coming back, and then she was leaving. She should have never come back, she knew that now.  She needed to get her ass in her car and go home, like she should have done in the first place.

* * *

 

Half an hour later, she slowly opened the door and crept out, quietly inching her way down the stairs and through the house.  Despite the creaking of the stairs and a rather loud bump into a table in the hall, she made it out without anyone stopping her, and she was both relieved and saddened at that fact.  She was so sad to leave Troy and Bernita like this, but she knew she couldn’t stand to see Chase any longer.  She needed to rip the band-aid off and be done with it.  She should have been done with it yesterday, but like a fool she’d come back with him. 

Running through the rain, she quickly climbed in her car and put the keys in the ignition, wincing as she started it up.   She backed out of the driveway as fast and as careful as possible.    When she’d made it back out on the hardball road, she turned her lights completely on, illuminating the road.  It was still raining hard, but it was nearing 4am, so the sun wasn’t too far off; probably by the time she’d get back to that damn bridge it would be up.  Lifting her chin resolutely, she turned the radio on and headed back to Texas.

 


	16. Chapter 16

* * *

**6 hours and some change later….**

She pulled into her apartment parking lot in Beaumont, sighing in relief.  At least she’d get to sleep some now in the peace and comfort of her own home. She dragged her suitcase out of the car and shoved her cell in her purse as she headed to her door, and opened it and walked inside.  She dropped her suitcase by the door and kicked off her shoes on her way to the bedroom.  She left her cell phone in her purse, as she was not ready to answer.  Chase had called and texted her repeatedly, but she wasn't ready for that.  She didn't even know what to say to him anymore, didn't know how to explain herself.  She was just so damn confused right now. 

As she came back out of the bedroom and back into the kitchen, it didn't surprise her that Jeromy wasn’t here. Who the hell knew where he was? He hadn’t called her still, and frankly she was almost done with all this. This little trip had opened her eyes in more ways than one. They usually spent at least a few nights together a week, and it was apparent that he’d been here while she was gone – if the messy kitchen was any indicator.  There were beer cans all over the counter top, and a pot full of what looked like macaroni on the stove still.  The sink was full of dirty dishes.

“Asshole,” she mumbled to herself as she started picking up beer cans and tossing them in the trash. She had just crushed a can and was going to drop it in the trash when a balled up piece of paper caught her eye for whatever reason. She pulled it out of the trash can, unraveling it to see what was on it.  As she read the letter – because that’s what it was – she fell to the floor, her hand shaking as she covered her mouth.  It was a letter... from Ronnie to Jeromy.

 

 

 

> _Jeromy, I’ve waited for too long. I can’t do this anymore. It’s either me or her, you can’t have it both ways anymore. I love you, and you say you love me, but your actions prove otherwise. I’ve sat by for over 4 years now waiting for you. I sat and watched you propose to her, and I am still here, waiting. Not anymore. If you don’t tell her, I will. I think she at least needs to know the truth, and then whatever happens, happens. I am tired of pretending, and I am tired of lying. You are who you are, and I am who I am, and we are supposed to be together, but it can’t work like this. I refuse to sit here, waiting for you while you pretend to be something I know you’re not. I love you and I hope you understand._
> 
> _Ronnie Ray_

Harley swallowed a few times, painfully, as she tried to reign in the nausea that was washing over her.   _Jeromy and Ronnie?_   Jeromy was gay? Or bisexual?  Or what?

She stood up shakily, carrying the letter to the bedroom with her.  Once inside, she pulled the engagement ring off her finger and set it, along with the letter, on top of her dresser, and hastily began undressing.  She felt so sick to her stomach, and she needed to get in the shower before she threw up everywhere. Not waiting, she stepped in, almost screaming in shock at the cold water, but stood under it anyway, her teeth chattering as her body shook. 

How many times had she and Jeromy had sex and then he’d gone off to sleep with Ronnie? How many times had he supposedly been out drinking when in fact he was probably doing something else?

She reached down and turned the water to hot, trying to warm herself up as she sank to the bottom of the shower. She sat, knees drawn up under her chin as she tried to make sense of what she’d just found. How could she be so damn blind? It had been right under her nose for so damn long, and she’d not seen it! Everything started to make sense now.  Jeromy’s hesitance to set a date, Jeromy always hanging out with Ronnie – _Jeromy taking trips with Ronnie!!!_  

God! How many times had Jeromy and Ronnie gone off on some supposed boys trip, leaving her at home?More times than she could count, that was for sure.  She had been so, so stupid and naive.   She pushed the back of her hand against her mouth again, trying desperately to not let the nausea take over. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d felt sicker to her stomach than she did right now. Everything she thought she knew, everything she’d come to depend on, had all just been yanked out from under her. 

As her nausea subsided, she began to get mad. Really, really fucking mad.   How dare he do this to her?  Why didn't he just tell her?  _Why the fuck did he propose to her?_   What were they going to tell everyone?  Growing ever angrier, she stood up and hastily cleaned herself and turned the water off. 

Jeromy was about to catch hell – she wasn’t going to waste any more damn time.

* * *

 

Harley sat stiffly on the couch, waiting for Jeromy to show.  She’d texted him, then called him, and was finally able to convince him that she needed to see him right away. She could tell by his reluctance to ‘come over so late’ that he knew something was up.  She heard the key in the door, and she looked up from her spot as her _fiancé_ walked in the door. What a fucking joke. 

“Hey, baby,” he smiled as he walked over and attempted to kiss her. Harley turned her face away from him in disgust and he pulled back.

“Don’t.”

The one word, hissed, was enough to send Jeromy back across to the loveseat.  He sat down, staring at her warily.

“Harley…look, I meant to call you, but I was just-”

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Jeromy,” Harley seethed as she stood up and threw the balled up letter in his direction.  He caught it, but did not open it; he already knew what it was, and he bowed his head in shame. 

“I don’t have an excuse,” he admitted without looking up at her.

“Oh really? You didn’t think that maybe I should know that you were gay when you asked to marry me?” Harley was screaming now, but she didn’t care. “My god! How many times have you slept with me after sleeping with Ronnie?”

“Harley-”  Jeromy held his hands up to interject something, but Harley was through talking. 

“Get out. I can’t even stand to look at you.” She walked over and threw her ring at him, bouncing it off his chest. “Take that shit with you, too!”

“Harley. Let’s talk, okay?” Jeromy looked up at her, pleading with her, but Harley shook her head.

“Get. Out.” She walked over to the door and opened it.  Jeromy stood up and walked over to the door, but did not step out just yet.

“I never meant to hurt you. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Get out, Jeromy.” Harley repeated coldly, her eyes focused on the door frame.

“We need to talk about this.”

“I will call the cops if you don’t leave, I swear to fucking god. Get out of my house.” She was practically hissing now, and she could feel the tears pricking at her eyes, only infuriating her even further.

“Okay. I’ll leave, but we’ll talk later, Harley.” He had barely stepped out of the door when Harley slammed it on him, the force seeming to shake the entire house.

She locked and dead-bolted it, ensuring that he wasn’t coming back tonight.  Tomorrow she would change the locks as well. She turned back around and stared at her apartment, at the walls that were covered with pictures of her and Jeromy, and of the things throughout the house that were given to her by him. She methodically went through the whole house, pulling everything off the walls and out of closets, pulling things out of drawers and emptying bags of things that belonged to Jeromy. When she was done, she had a sizable pile in her living room of pictures, CD’s, clothes, letters, etc., all things given to her by Jeromy, or things that they’d shared.  She was going to completely erase him from her mind and from her apartment.

It was after 3am when she finally fell asleep, exhausted from the effort and the strain. She rested her head on the carpet near the pile of memories, and the last thing she saw was the engagement photo of she and Jeromy as she stared at it, before her eyes finally closed and she succumbed to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

The following Monday, Harley trudged through the day, feeling completely disconnected from everyone and everything. She was busy working on her story for her final assignment, but her mind was so fuzzy and she couldn’t concentrate on anything. She didn’t know what to do with herself.  It was bad enough what had happened with Jeromy, but now she was forced to look at and write about the Landry's.  Chase's pictured sat before her, and she found it hard for whatever reason to even look at it. It was almost like he could see her, and she knew that was weird, because it was just a damn picture.  Sighing, she shuffled his back under the stack so that she could deal with it later.

“Hey! You’re back!”

Harley turned and attempted a smile when she saw her friend walk in the room.

“What’s up, Amy?” Harley asked as her friend came to sit next to her.

“How was your trip?” Amy leaned over to look at the laptop screen. “So you got the interview, huh? I thought you were coming back sooner.”

“Yeah, well, stuff happened,” Harley hedged as she closed her laptop down.

“How were they? What was Chase like? He’s so cute, oh my god!” Amy gushed, oblivious to the pained look that came over Harley’s face at the mention of his name. 

She’d done well not thinking about him…at least for the past few hours that is. Ever since the fallout with Jeromy and all that shit, all she’d wanted to do was call Chase and tell him everything, but she knew now was not the time.  As much as she hated Jeromy right now, she knew she wasn’t done with him; there was still unfinished business between the two and she needed to deal with that before she jumped into another relationship.  If Chase even wanted a relationship with her, and she wasn't entirely sure that he would after she ran out on him like that. 

“Harley!” Amy’s voice broke through her thoughts, jerking her back into the present. “God, what is wrong with you?”

“I’m just tired, is all,” Harley explained. “My car broke down and I got stranded in Louisiana for a few extra days.” That wasn’t entirely a lie – she had broken down on the damn bridge after all.

“So....” Amy smiled again. “Did you meet Chase?”

Harley sighed, knowing her friend wasn’t going to let it go.

“Yes. I met him and his mother and father.”

“And? What was he like?  Was he nice?  Did you spend any time with him?” Amy bombarded her with questions, and Harley again felt like screaming in frustration.

 _Did she spend time with him?_ God, what a joke! She’d practically thrown herself at the man and he’d pretty much rejected her.  She knew why he’d done it – his damn morals – but it still stung when she thought about it.

“Yes, he was very nice, and yes I did spend a little time with him.”  Well there was a big fat lie if she’d ever told one.

“Is he single?” Amy asked excitedly, causing Harley to narrow her eyes on her friend.

“Why?”

“Because maybe you could hook me up since you know him!” Amy giggled, oblivious to the jealousy that was simmering just under the surface in Harley. “Swamp People is coming on tonight, so I’ll be watching my future boyfriend this evening.”

Blinking rapidly, Harley plastered a smile on her face, doing her best not to feel the need to claw her friend’s eyes out.

“Well, have fun with that, Amy,” Harley muttered. “I’m going to get home before it starts raining again.”

“Harley, are you alright?” Amy asked, finally noticing her friend’s dark mood.

“No. No, I’m not.” Harley waived her hand in front of Amy. “Jeromy and I are done.”

Amy sat back in her chair, aghast at that news.   Harley stared back impassively, waiting for the questions to come.

"I don't even know what to say, Harley.  I'm sorry?"  Amy offered sadly.  "I mean, what happened?  You guys have been together forever."

"Yeah, but apparently he was also together with Ronnie,"  Harley muttered angrily. 

"Together with Ronnie?"  Amy asked, confused.  "Do you mean?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean.  I came home and found a love letter, or something, from Ronnie to Jeromy."  Harley felt the familiar taste of nausea start rising in her throat, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself. 

"Oh wow."

"Yeah.  It's been going on since before we were even engaged!"  Harley swiped at her eyes angrily, pissed even more at herself for being so upset.  She didn't even know if she loved Jeromy anymore, and had been questioning that for a while now.  Was it the habit of having him that she was going to miss?  Or did she love him?  

"I kinda thought something was weird, Harley," Amy admitted softly.  "I didn't want to say anything, but they were always very touchy-feely, you know?"

"Why didn't you say anything to me?  I never thought anything like that!"  Harley's voice was accusatory, and Amy bristled at the tone.

"Because you wouldn't listen to me, or anyone else, Harley."  Amy's voice was just as hard now, and just as accusing.  "You've been so busy trying to be someone you're not, and you know that.  Deep down, you know that."

'What are you talking about?"  Harley huffed out as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know you, Harley.  I've known you since we were in kindergarten, remember?  I knew your dad, and I know your mom, and I know how you grew up and where you come from.  Does Jeromy?"  Amy asked softly.

"No," Harley admitted.  "I was going to tell him, but it was just never the right time."

"Yeah, whatever." Amy's mouth twisted wryly.  "You have been so busy trying to escape all that, that you've not been able to see what's going on."  Amy reached over and gently touched Harley's arm.  "I don't blame you for trying to better yourself, but you can't completely forget who you are, Harley."

Harley sat in silence, stunned as Amy's words sank in.  Was she that transparent?  _Was she that shallow?_ She had been chasing all these things - the house, the cars, the degrees, the man  - for all these years, and none of it was what she really wanted.  She knew that now, and that was scary, because if she didn't want that, then what did she want?  She wiped at her eyes again.

"You know, I never wanted to go into communications.  I hate the fucking news, and I hate asking questions, and I just hate it."  Harley stared up at Amy, with teary eyes and a rueful smile.

"I knew that from the moment you signed up that broadcasting wasn't for you."

"Why wouldn't you say anything to me?" Harley whined again, earning a grin from Amy.

"Do I need to remind you again of how stubborn you are?"  Amy giggled as she sat back in her chair.  "So what will you do now?"

"I don't know.  I'm almost graduated, so I might as well finish this.  I'm not engaged anymore, and the apartment is in Jeromy's name, so I'm letting him have it."  Harley shuffled the papers around on her desk, her fingers trembling as she saw just the edge of the pictures peaking out.  Seeing what she was doing, Amy reached over and pulled the pictures out and stared at them as Harley flushed guiltily beside her.

"This is what took you so long, isn't it?"  Amy looked up from Chase's picture as all the pieces fell together.  "You went down there, and met this man, and what?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harley scoffed indignantly.

"Bullshit." Amy smiled softly.  "You think I didn't see how jealous you got when I asked about Chase Landry?"

Harley sat quietly, not wanting to admit anything.  She didn't know what she felt for Chase, or what she felt about anything for that matter. 

"Well, you're free now.  Is he?"

"I don't know. It was weird between the two of us, and I only knew him for like 5 minutes," Harley replied, her voice turning wistful as she thought about Chase.

"But?" Amy finished with a giggle.  "I can hear the _'but'_ in there, Harley Dawn!"

"But....I kissed him the first night.  And then he followed me when I left, and I went back, and he took me out on a picnic on the boat, and then we kinda slept together, but not really, and then I left him."  Harley stared over at her friend with wide eyes full of embarrassment as she rushed all that out.

"What do you mean you slept together but not really?"  Amy confusedly stared at her friend. 

"I mean we slept in the same bed, and I...uh...I...asked him to....you know, but he said no because I was engaged."  Harley flushed again, her cheeks heating as she remembered how brazen she had been.

"You wanted to have sex but he said no because you were engaged?"  Amy asked incredulously. "What kind of man does that anymore?"

"A man like Chase Landry."  Harley dropped her head down on the desk with a dramatic sigh.   Beside her, Amy started laughing, causing Amy to glare at her as she peeked out from under her hair.  "I don't see what's so funny, Amy!"

"I'm sorry, but I think this is hilarious.  You have done everything you can to not be you, and then you go down to Louisiana, and fall in love with a country boy from the swamp!"  Amy wiped the tears at her eyes as she continued laughing at her friend's expense.  Harley tried to stay mad, but when she thought about it, it was pretty ironic.  Chase was absolutely everything she had ever tried to avoid when dating someone, but look at her now....

"I don't know if I fell in love with him, but I sure do miss him," Harley confessed as she sat back up.  She picked up Chase's picture and stared at it.  He was so damn handsome, even standing in the middle of a swamp with his waders on.  Love was a strong word, and she didn't know if it fit, but then again, what the hell did she know about love?  Look at how things had gone with Jeromy!  She hardly had any yard stick to measure things by...

"So call him and tell him," Amy offered simply.  

"It's not that easy,"  Harley shook her head at her friend.  "He called me a bunch of times and I never answered.  He probably thinks I'm ignoring him, or whatever."

"Well, missy, I've got the answer to your problem."  Amy was busy scrolling through her phone as she spoke, and when she finally found what she was looking for, she smiled as she turned the screen towards Harley.  "He'll be in town in less than a month.  At Gander Mountain, so you can go see him then."

Harley stared at the phone in disbelief.  Sure enough, Chase and Troy were coming into Beaumont for the grand opening of Gander Mountain, and then on to Houston and Dallas to do the same.  All in about 3 weeks.  She looked up at Amy as her heart started pounding in her chest.

"Why didn't he tell me he was coming here?" 

"Why would he?  You were engaged, remember?"  Amy pointed out easily.

"Oh my god.  He's going to be here in less than 3 weeks!"  Harley could feel her anxiety rising at the prospect of seeing Chase again.  "What if he doesn't want to see me?

"Why wouldn't he?"  Amy challenged her.  "Look, all you can do is try, right?  Maybe you should call him and tell him you'd like to see him?"

Harley shook her head emphatically. "No, I can't do that."

"Then give me your phone.  I'll do it."  Amy held her hand out.

"Nu-uh...." Harley shook her head again as she held her phone to her chest.  Just then, Amy's phone buzzed in her hand.

"Well, do what you want.  I gotta go, hun."  She stood up with a smile.  "Bryan's outside waiting for me.  We're going to Madison's.  You wanna come?"

"No, you go ahead," Harley answered distractedly.  "I've got to finish this stupid paper."   Her mind was turning now, wondering what she should do.  Should she call him? Text him?  Would he even answer?  Should she just show up at the store on that day?  Oh god!

Amy rolled her eyes at her friend and smirked.  "Call the man, Harley Dawn.  Quit screwing around and just do it."

"Bye, Amy!"  Harley muttered as her friend walked to the door to leave.

"Call me later, okay?"  Amy grinned as she stepped out of the room, leaving Harley alone with her thoughts.

Chase was going to be here in less than 3 weeks.  Right here, less than 2 miles away from where she was right now, he was going to be here.  She chewed on her fingernail as she stared at his picture, wondering what to do.  Of course, part of her wanted to call him and tell him everything, but the other part was scared to death that he'd reject her again.  She had thrown herself at him repeatedly, and he'd never actually taken her up on the offer, so what did that say about his feelings for her?  Even Amy was shocked that he'd turned her down.  Maybe she imagined it all, and Chase didn't feel anything for her other than a fleeting attraction?  Maybe she had completely misjudged him, just as she had in the beginning, and maybe he was just humoring her?  Did he feel sorry for her and her pathetic life?  Oh god. 

She shuffled all her papers together and shoved them in her bag along with her laptop.  Nope, she wasn't going to call him.  Not yet, anyways.  She needed to go home and think about what she was going to do before she made another stupid mistake. 

 


	18. Chapter 18

Like a complete and total stalker, Harley pushed her way around the crowd.  If anyone asked, she was here for an interview - that was her story and she was sticking to it.  She'd tried to stay away, but her curiousity had gotten the better of her, and here she was. There were more and more people showing up every minute, and she knew that she was going to miss her chance to see him. All she really wanted was a chance to see him from afar, and maybe she would talk to him, or maybe not.  Mostly she just wanted to see his face again, even if he didn't want to see her.  She'd not texted him - had chickened out each time - so she had no idea what he thought about her still.  

"Oh excuse me!" Harley exclaimed as she bumped into an older gentleman.  She turned around, trying to find a way out of the throng of people, when she ran right into the table.  Chase looked up from his spot behind it, one eyebrow cocked as he caught his drink before it spilled all over the table.  His eyes had widened just imperceptibly when he saw her, but then the same disinterested look came over his face again.

“Chase!” Harley exclaimed, shocked to see him sitting before her.  She knew he was here somewhere, but she still wasn’t prepared to see him after all this time. His beard was fuller, his hair longer and peeking out from under his cap, and he was just as ruggedly handsome as the last time she’d seen him. She wanted to run into his arms, to jump on him and tell him she was free now, but she was so scared to make a move. It had been so long, and she’d avoided his calls for so long that she didn’t know where she stood with him.  After the first week, he'd no longer texted or called her, so maybe he was dating someone? Her stomach dropped a little at that thought, and she pushed it aside quickly. 

“Hey, Harley.” He casually replied as he stared up at her from his seat.  Photos were spread out before him, some signed, some not, in preparation for the event. To his left, Troy’s seat was still empty, and Harley was grateful for not having to explain herself to Chase’s father.

“I was here…you know... I heard you were here…and I was…I needed to get the story…” Harley stuttered out, trying to explain why she was here in this store on this very day. Her reason sounded stupid even to herself.

“Had to get the story, huh?” Chase gave her a half-smile that didn’t reach his beautiful brown eyes.

“Chase, that’s not the only reason I came,” she countered quickly.

“No?” He pushed his chair back and stood up, stretching his arms out in front of him. 

Harley gulped as she stepped back. It had been so long since she’d been this close to him, and she’d forgotten just how physically big he was.  Again, she felt the insane urge to fling herself at him, to wrap her arms around him and tell him she was available and that she wanted him, and to beg him to forgive her for leaving like she did.

“No,” she admitted again. “I..uhm…I wanted to see how you were doing...you know…”

“After you left in the middle of the night?” Chase smiled down at her coolly. “After you never returned my calls, and never answered any texts letting me know you were okay?” He looked down at her hand, brows drawn together, and she could tell by the set of his jaw that he was angry. 

“Are you happily married now?” He was practically sneering, and Harley was stunned.  She’d never seen Chase act this way, even when she was being so bitchy towards him in the beginning.  She looked down at her hand and then held it up, shaking her head sadly.

“Funny you should ask, because actually I’m not. And I won't be.  Turns out Jeromy is gay.” She smiled sarcastically, raising her eyebrows in mock surprise. “Believe that, huh? I’m so good my fiancé left me for another man.”

Chase looked at her like she was crazy.

“He was cheating on me with his best friend – Ronnie – for over 2 years. Since before we were engaged, actually,” Harley chuckled under her breath. It was still damn hard to admit that and not take it personally.

“Should’ve stayed with me, huh?” Chase quipped sarcastically.

“Wow. That was an asshole thing to say, Chase,” she whispered furiously so no one else would hear. She glared at him, willing herself not to cry, but it was damn hard when she was so pissed off.  Who the fuck did Chase think he was?

“Harley, I don’t…I don’t know what to say to that, and sorry seems hardly enough. I shouldn’t have said that.” Chase backed down, his features softening as he looked at her. “Are you okay?”

“Who, me?” She shrugged dismissively as she wrapped her arms around herself. “Of course.”

Just then, Troy walked up and spotted Harley, and the conversation between her and Chase was over.

“What the hell?! Come here, girl!” Troy enveloped her in his arms, hugging her tightly. He leaned back to look down at her. “How you been?”

“I’m good, Mr. Landry,” Harley smiled up at him. “How have you been?”

“We been good down home, and I told you to call me Troy, remember?” Troy shook his finger at her playfully, causing Harley to giggle.

“Yes sir, Troy,” she mock saluted, earning a laugh from him. They both turned to look at Chase who was standing almost awkwardly off to the side, watching the interaction. Harley’s eyes met Chases and she looked away quickly.

“So, Harley, you reporting or something? Or you just couldn’t stay away, knowing we was in town?” Troy was desperately trying to relieve some of the tension that had settled over them, and Harley was grateful for the attempt at least.

“Yes and no. I was going to interview some of the fans, but not you guys.” She looked back over at Chase and saw that he was now messing around on his phone, obviously ignoring her as he sat back down in his chair. 

So, there it was. He didn’t care if she was here or not apparently.

“We gonna be in town for tonight, and then we’re heading to Houston, Harley.  Wanna grab dinner with us?” Troy asked kindly, and Harley almost said yes, but she knew she couldn’t go with Chase not wanting her there. He’d made that pretty clear.

“No, I wish I could, but I’ve got other…plans…and I…well I just can’t. I’m sorry,” she smiled apologetically.

Troy looked at her, and then over at Chase, and back at her. He was clearly not buying her excuse, but he didn’t press her any further.

“Okay. Give me a hug before you leave, then. I think we getting ready to get started here anyways,” Troy said. He pulled Harley in for another hug, and this time kissed her on her temple before letting her go. “You only got one life, Harley. Remember that.” Troy spoke softly as he looked down at her.

Harley nodded and smiled up at him. It was all she could manage right now; anymore and she’d be breaking down in this damn store in front of all these people!

“Bye Chase,” Harley offered quietly.  He barely looked up from his phone as he nodded at her, and she felt herself die a little inside once again at his aloofness towards her.

Without another word, she made her way through the crowd and out the front door.  Good thing the whole interview was made up, because she definitely wasn't staying now!  She finally found her car, and hurried inside, gritting her teeth in a mixture of anger and sadness. That had not gone the way she thought it would, not at all. As she sat in the parking lot, she stared out at the people walking in, all going to see Chase and Troy most likely. 

What had she thought Chase would do? Run to her with open arms? They barely knew each other, for all intents and purposes. They’d kissed once, hung out together for a day, and then she’d thrown herself at him, gotten rejected, and ran out on him in the middle of the night. They’d not spoken since, but it was not for lack of trying on his part. He’d called her repeatedly, as well as texted her over and over again, and she’d ignored every single one. She was too damn embarrassed to admit to him what had happened with Jeromy, and she was still feeling ashamed at having flaunted herself at him the way she had. She was engaged at the time, so what in the world must he think of her?  Her phone buzzed in her hand, startling her. She looked down, staring at it in shock.

It was a message from Chase.

She smiled as she opened it up, and she felt her throat constrict when she saw what he had sent. It wasn’t a text, but two videos he’d shared with her. The first was Florida-Georgia Line’s [Take It Out On Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WWpTThC5ow), and the second – _oh god help her_ \- was Tab Benoit’s [Nothing Takes The Place of You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKXWYqzMM0E).

With a huge smile on her face, she set her Sirius up to Bluetooth and played the songs, one right after the other, and by the time Tab had finished, she was choking back tears.  She quickly texted Chase back.

**Harley: Thank you for that.**

A few moments passed before she got back another text from him. He was probably swarmed inside with the fans.

**Chase: Ur welcome.**

She sat waiting, wondering what else to say when another text came through.

**Chase: Homewood Suites off I10. Room 201. Please come.**

Her heart started pounding in her chest and her breathing became shallow at the thought of seeing him again. She knew what was going to happen if she showed up to that room and went in. She knew exactly what was going to happen, but then she remembered Troy's words to her, telling her she had only one life to live, and Bernita's words telling her that we all meet people for a reason.   Taking another deep breath, she texted him back.

**Harley: What time?**

**Chase: About 9pm? Give me time to eat and get dad settled. Is that ok?**

**Harley: Ok**

**Chase: See you soon**

Harley closed her phone, a smile on her face from ear to ear. She was going to see Chase tonight, and she was no longer engaged. She turned the key in the ignition, ignoring the niggling doubts that threatened to take over her.  Whatever happened, happened.  She pulled out of the parking lot and headed to her apartment to get changed up.

 


	19. Chapter 19

It was 8:42pm, and Harley was sitting in the parking lot of her car, warring with herself on whether she should carry through or not. She nibbled on her fingernails as she stared up at the hotel.

God!

She knew what she was doing by going there, and she knew what was going to happen. Chase Landry was going to break her heart in two, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for another one of those situations. She’d not even really recovered from Jeromy’s betrayal, although at least they were on speaking terms again.  Her phone buzzed again in her lap, causing her to jump.

**Chase: You coming?**

**Harley: Yes. Coming now.**

She grabbed her purse with shaky fingers and stepped out of her car, and headed up to the hotel. She walked through the lobby, head bowed low and feeling like everyone there knew why she was here. She scurried to the elevator and pressed the door button, praying it would hurry up and that she would be alone inside. To her relief, it opened quickly, and she had it all to herself. When the doors opened to the second floor, and she saw the sign pointing right to rooms 200-222, she felt her heartbeat quicken. Telling herself to calm down, she slowly walked down the hall til she got to his room. Again, her fingers were shaking as she tapped on the door.  It opened quickly, as if Chase had been waiting for her, and she quickly moved inside.

“Hey,” he murmured as he closed and locked the door behind him. Harley looked around nervously, and then back at Chase. “Dad’s in his own room. He snores too loud for me.”

Harley cracked a tiny smile at that, and Chase did as well. She just noticed that he was shirtless, wearing only his jeans, and she felt herself flush as she looked away. Noticing her discomfort, Chase walked over and grabbed his tee shirt and slipped it on.

“Better?” He asked her, a gentle smile on his face as he moved to stand before her.

“Yes, thank you,” she shyly smiled up at him.

“Let me get this for you.” He reached out and took her purse from her and laid it on the table next to the television. When he turned back to her, she could see the intensity in his eyes as he walked back over to her. When he gently tilted her chin up with his fingertips, her mouth fell open, drawing Chase’s eyes down to her lips.

“Tell me to stop, Harley,” he whispered huskily as his mouth descended to hers, and she closed her eyes in anticipation. When she felt him kiss her on her lower lip, just the barest of touches, she reached out and grasped his shirt and pulled him forward.

“Don’t you dare stop, Chase Landry,” she whined against his lips. Then his lips were on hers fully, and she was lost. Chase gripped her cheeks as he held her to him, kissing her softly, and then more urgently as he guided her back towards his bed. They stood before the bed for a few moments, both running their hands over the others' body as they reconnected. Harley tugged at Chase’s shirt, wanting it off again, and he reached down and pulled it up, revealing that strong, muscular chest to her. She leaned forward and placed a kiss against his sternum, nuzzling the hair there with her nose as she inhaled deeply. He smelled so, so good! Chase gripped the back of her head, his fingers in her hair, groaning at her movements.

“I want you so bad, Harley,” he growled, deep in his chest. He gently tugged her back by her hair, forcing her to look up at him. “Do you want me?”

“More than anything,” she nodded as she stared up at him, repeating his words that he’d once spoken to her not too long ago. He kissed her again as he led her closer to the bed. They stood, hugging each other as they kissed, neither wanting to let go after so long.

“You gotta take this off,” Chase murmured as he lifted the hem of her shirt.

“Patience, Mr. Landry,” Harley giggled as she slowly lifted her shirt, teasing him with it.

“I’ve waited long enough.” He grinned down at her as he kissed her on the tip of her nose, and Harley shoved at his bare chest and pushed him down on the bed.

“Sit and behave.”

With an arched eyebrow, Chase leaned back on his palms as he watched her. Summoning all her courage, Harley grasped her shirt at the bottom button and slowly undid it. Her eyes never left Chase’s, and with each button that came undone, she could see his eyes darkening with desire, his jaw flexing as he watched her. She popped the last button open, revealing a black, lacy balconette bra that did it’s best to contain her ample breasts. She stood before him, her skin flushed with color as he stared back at her. Wordlessly, he sat up and reached out to her, pulling her to him with a finger in the waist of her jeans. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him as he buried her face against her waist.

“Why did we wait so long?” His voice was husky as he nipped at the lines of her waist, causing her to shiver against him. Chase kissed along her rib cage, his lips just barely skimming across her skin as Harley buried her fingers in his hair, holding him to her.

“Come ‘ere,” her murmured as he pulled her down on top of him, forcing her to straddle him. He wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed her softly before leaning back to stare at her. They were nose to nose, lips barely touching, warm breaths mingling just so.

“Do you know how much I have missed you?” He kissed the corner of her mouth softly, grinning as Harley tried to turn her head and capture his lips with hers. “Do you?”

“Probably not as much as I missed you.” Giving up on kissing him, Harley conceded. She leaned back a bit and stared down at his chest. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer your texts or calls. I was too embarrassed.”

Chase reached behind her head and grasped her hair, tugging on it again to tilt her head up at him.

“Did you think I would make fun of you or somethin’?” Chase questioned her.

“I don’t know what I thought,” Harley hedged. It was so hard to meet his eyes, but he wouldn’t let her look away. “Do we have to talk about this now?”

Chase pulled her closer to him and kissed her again, leaning her back over his arms as he did so. “No. No, we don’t.”

He continued kissing her as he stood up with her in his arms and turned around. He laid her on the bed and crawled over her, dragging her up to the center of the bed with a hand at her lower back. He kissed her once more, hard, before pushing her shirt completely off her shoulders, leaving her only in her bra. He knelt over her, staring at her breasts.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” he whistled appreciatively, causing Harley to blush underneath him. She tried to cover her face as she giggled, but Chase wouldn’t let her.

“I wish you would quit screwing around and just make love to me,” Harley whined as she squirmed against him. Chase had both her hands pinned above her head, trapped by one of his much larger hands.

“Is that what you want? To screw around?” He wolfishly grinned down at her.

“I want you to make love to me,” Harley, serious now, blinked up at him. “I’ve wanted that since I met you.”

“Even when I was a coonass hillbilly?” Chase quipped as he leaned down and nipped at the skin above her breasts, his teeth just barely grazing the skin. Harley closed her eyes, praying he wouldn’t stop.

“Damnit, Chase Landry, if you don’t-”

Chase kissed her hard, silencing her complaints before she could get them out. He slid his hand down and unbuttoned her jeans, and slid his hand down the front of them, groaning against her mouth when he found her already hot and wet as his fingers found her core.

“I told you,” she whimpered as she undulated against his hand. “Please, Chase…”

Chase sat up and quickly pulled her jeans off.  Both were breathing hard when he hooked a finger in her matching black panties and pulled them down her legs, flinging them in the same direction as the jeans. Laying bare before him, Harley watched with hooded eyes as he unbuttoned his jeans and shuffled out of them. He kept his boxers on, and started to crawl over her, but Harley closed her legs around his waist, halting him with her hands at his side.

“Take those damn boxers off and make love to me,” she ordered him softly.  With a smile, he kissed her again and sat back up and took his boxers off. Harley couldn’t look at him, and kept her eyes on his the whole time, and when he crawled back over her, this time it was flesh against flesh, and she could feel his erection at her thigh. He reached up and placed a finger at the cup of her bra, pulling it down so that her breast sprung free, and greedily took her nipple in his mouth. His large hand cupped her, squeezing her so that she was fully flush against his mouth, and it was driving her insane with need.

“Oh god!” Harley arched up off the bed, both in relief and desperation at finally having him touch her so intimately. She reached behind her back frantically, unhooking her bra, and clumsily pulling it off. She needed to feel his skin against her, completely bare, with nothing between them. When Chase pressed his chest against hers, they both groaned at the contact, and Harley wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. She nipped at his ear lobe, earning another groan from him as he breathed raggedly against her neck.

“Make love to me,” she whispered against his ear as she licked along the edge of his ear, causing Chase to hiss between his teeth as he reached down and guided himself into her wet heat, grunting as he pushed into her tight core.

“Aww, shit,” he grunted again. “Fuck!” He gripped her thigh and pushed her leg out to the side as he slid in all the way, completely enveloped by her as she wrapped her legs around him and held him tight.  He lowered himself down on top of her, her breasts flattened against his chest,  and slowly started moving.

His face was buried against her neck, his breath hot against her skin as he struggled to control himself. Harley pulled Chase’s face up to hers and kissed him softly as she rolled her hips against him, wanting, needing to get closer, to feel him right where she needed him. She slid one of her hands down his muscular back and down to his lower back, digging her fingernails into him as she urged him on. Chase kissed her hard again as he reached down and pulled her hand back up from his back. He released her mouth, and grabbed both of her hands and held them over her head again, both pinned down by his much larger one as he pushed off her with his other hand and stared down at her as he began to thrust harder. Harley closed her eyes, the feeling of being held so tightly by Chase almost too much.  From the way he held her, her chest was arched up against him, and each time he thrust into her, she felt her breasts press against his chest, the friction causing her nipples to become even harder.

"Look at me, Harley," Chase growled from above, and Harley panted as she stared up at him.  "I want you to look at me as I make you come." He thrust into her again, harder, and Harley had a hard time keeping her eyes open, so intense was the feeling of him moving inside her.  He shook his head at her, his jaw flexing as he continued to slam into her.

"Don't close your eyes," he ordered her softly.  He slowed down, rolling his hips inside her. "Do you feel that, baby?"  He rolled his hips again, making sure to press against her clit.  Harley nodded up at him, just barely holding on as her insides were already trembling in anticipation.  She wouldn't last much longer.

"I want to touch you," she whispered as she struggled against his hand.  Chase released her and brought one of her hand's up and placed it behind his head as he pressed his forehead against hers.  He then brought his hand down between them, his fingers finding her clit, and he began rubbing it softly, causing Harley to arch against him again as the pleasure started to fan out over her body.

"Hold on, baby," he grunted as he started moving faster.  They were hot, and sweaty, and Harley could taste the salt on Chase's lips as she frantically kissed him.  She drew her legs up around him, squeezing him tight as she started to fall apart.  She moved her body so that her clit was rubbing harder against his hand, the friction causing her toes to curl as her legs began trembling at his sides.

"Oh god...Chase..." she panted, "I'm about to....oh god!" 

Chase slammed into her harder, and Harley screamed his name as she came, her body tightening around him as she came.  Her nails were dug deep into his back as she shuddered around him, her body gripping him tightly as Chase finally found his release, pumping into her over and over. 

"God damn, Harley," Chase gasped as he rolled his hips a few more times against her, his cock still twitching inside from the remnants of his orgasm.  Harley smiled to herself as she locked her heels behind his back, holding him to her tightly.

"We should do that more often," she giggled against his temple as he finally stopped moving.  His brow was sweaty, and she playfully nuzzled his hair with her nose, delighting in finally having him so close.  She never wanted to leave this spot, never wanted to feel that feeling of not having him inside her.  They fit together so perfectly, in so many ways.

"Yeah, we should," he agreed lazily.  He leaned up to look down at her, and Harley smiled up at him as she lightly traced her fingers along his strong jaw. 

"It feels right, doesn't it?"  Harley asked softly as she continued stroking his jaw.  He turned his head and captured one of her fingers with his lips and kissed her softly before looking back at her.

"Not bad for a coonass, huh?"  He grinned down at her, and giggling, Harley pulled him in for another kiss. 

"Will you ever let me forget that?"  she giggled against his lips. 

"Nope.  You've got a lot to make up for, woman," Chase warned her as he shifted against her, and Harley could feel him growing harder inside her again. 

"What do I have to do to make it up to you?"  She smirked as she tightened herself around him, squeezing his cock deep inside and causing him to drop his head down against her forehead with another hiss.  She did it again, reveling in the fact that she could draw such a reaction from him.  His jaw flexing, he pushed up on his palms and hovered over her. 

"Turn over."  He pulled out of her abruptly, and flipped her over, and Harley barely had enough time to catch her breath before he was pushing himself into her again from behind. 

His large hands spread her open, and Harley bit at her lower lip as she backed herself into him, taking him completely as he filled her again.  When he was flush against her, he leaned over her, his chest pressed against her back,  and gripped her jaw with his hand as he turned her face to his.  As he kissed along her jaw, he started thrusting again, and this time Harley could feel him hitting the front of her wall, right on that spot that triggered her most intense orgasms.  She started trembling again, and buried her face against the sheets of the bed, not caring anymore what Chase was doing, as long as he kept hitting her in that spot.  

"You are so fuckin' hot," he growled as he gripped her hips tightly, pulling and pushing her against him as he thrust into her, over and over.  "Fuck!" 

He reached down and started rubbing her sensitive clit again, rubbing her wetness all around as he urged her on, his fingers moving faster and faster.  Harley twisted her fingers in the sheets, trying to stave off her orgasm, but it tore through her like a flash of lightning, pulling another muffled scream from her as she buried her face against the sheets.   Chase followed soon after, pounding into her over and over again as he found yet another release.  Gasping for air, he collapsed against her back, breathing just as heavy as Harley was as his body slowly calmed down.

Some time later, when Chase slowly pulled out of her, Harley was too exhausted to care, and lay sated against the tangled bed sheets as he crawled off the bed and went to the bathroom.  A few moments later, Harley had already fallen asleep , but was vaguely aware that Chase pulled her into his chest as he covered them with the sheets, her back to his front.  He wrapped his strong arms around her, and tenderly nuzzled his nose against her hair.

"I'm glad you came to see me, Harley," Chase whispered against her neck.  Opening her eyes and smiling happily, Harley laced her fingers with his across her chest and snuggled into him even more so. 

"Me, too," she whispered back softly. 

Chase kissed her softly at the back of her head and hugged her tightly, and before long, they had both drifted off to sleep, wrapped up in each others' arms. 

 

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

Harley woke up a few hours later, a happy smile on her face as she realized Chase was still wrapped around her. She gently lifted his arm from off her waist and crawled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She quietly closed the door behind her, and after using the restroom, went to look at herself in the mirror. She pushed her hair back off her forehead, wincing as she saw the tangled mess of curls. She needed her damn flat iron, but she hadn’t planned on spending the night with Chase, so she hadn’t packed a bag or any kind of toiletries.

“You’re a big, fat liar, Harley Dawn,” she chided herself with a wry grin. She turned the water on, knowing full well she had anticipated spending the night with Chase. She had hoped to, at least. She quickly washed her face and did her best to tame her hair, knowing it was futile. When she was done, she headed back out to the bed and crawled in.

“I thought you were leaving me again.” Chase’s sleepy voice broke the silence. He lifted the blanket for her, and Harley scooted closer to him.

“Not this time,” she whispered as she buried her face in his chest again.

“Good.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, his lips pressed against her forehead. He kissed her softly, and Harley grinned against him.

“I’m very happy, Chase,” Harley admitted. “I didn’t think you’d want to see me again.”

“I almost drove my ass over here when you didn’t answer my calls or texts.”

“Really?” Harley stiffened against him, unsure of how to proceed as Chase released her and rolled over onto his back, sighing deeply. Harley lay on his outstretched arm, wondering if she should draw closer or wait til he offered...if he offered, that is.

“Yep. I didn’t know what to do. We barely know each other, so it sounds stupid, and I talked myself out of it.” Chase swiped a hand over his face, and then ran it through his hair. He turned to face her, and in the darkness she could see he was smiling as he pulled her closer.  “But I’m glad you came to the store.” He pulled her to him, and Harley rested her cheek against his strong chest.

She could hear his heart beating steadily against her ear, and she tentatively wrapped her arm around his waist.

“I’m sorry about all that, Chase,” Harley admitted. “I was so confused, and then I was engaged, and I didn’t want to do the wrong thing, and I just didn’t know what to do.” Chase rubbed her shoulder gently, his fingers soothing her as she spoke.

“You know why I didn’t make love to you that night, don’t you?” he asked her.

“Yes, I know, and I’m glad we didn’t, cause it might have made things even weirder than they already are.” Harley hugged him tighter, grateful just to be next to him.

“Things are weird, now?” Chase asked with a chuckle, and Harley giggled against him.

“They’re a little weird, yes!” She leaned up and propped her chin on his chest as she stared up at him. He looked down at her, and she could see he was still smiling. “What will your mom and dad say about this?”

“Who cares?” Chase grinned as he pulled her up on top of his chest. “Why are you always worried about what everyone thinks?” His hands were at her lower back, caressing her as he spoke, and Harley found it increasingly difficult to concentrate.

“I don’t want them to think I’m crazy, or whatever,” Harley whispered as she shifted against him. He had her sprawled out over him, chest to chest, and now his fingers were behind the back of her knees, pulling at her and forcing her to straddle him. She closed her eyes as he pulled her even higher and nipped at the edge of her jaw.

“Well, you are crazy,” Chase murmured huskily as he continued kissing along her jaw and up to her ear.

“Am I?” Harley squeaked as he took the edge of her ear lobe in-between his teeth, causing her to shiver against him.

“You are,” Chase agreed.  His hands had traveled up the back of her thighs, and now his large hand and fingers were splayed against her ass as he gently rolled her against him. She could feel his hardness as it pressed against her, and she closed her eyes as she squirmed restlessly.

“You drive me crazy,” Harley moaned as she arched against him.

His lips were at her neck now, leaving gentle kisses in his wake, and she shivered as he slid his hands down the back of her shorts, his rough fingers coming into to contact with her sensitive skin. When he cupped her, his fingers just at that crease where her butt meets her thighs, she felt herself explode with wetness.

“I’m trying to.” He grinned against her mouth as he began to kiss her...

 

* * *

 

The next day, Chase was already up and dressed long before Harley was. When he sat down on the edge of the bed, he grinned down at her as she stared up at him sleepily.

“You’re so cute, you know that?” He leaned down and kissed her on her forehead.

“I’m so tired,” Harley whined as she snuggled deeper in the covers. “Do you really have to leave?”

“I do,” Chase sighed as she started putting his shoes on. “Dad’s waiting for me downstairs already. He gets bent when I don’t show up on time.”

Harley sat up, modestly wrapping the sheets around her as she stared up at Chase. She could feel her throat constricting, and she was again almost embarrassed about how quickly she’d developed feelings for this man. What the hell was wrong with her?

“When will I see you again?” she whispered softly. She didn’t want Chase to think she was insane, and she found it hard to meet his eyes as she asked that question. He leaned over and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him. He was smiling tenderly, and she blinked back tears as she stared at him.

“Come ‘ere, you,” Chase hauled her over onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Harley wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his neck. “Don’t be sad, Harley.”

“I can’t help it,” she sniffled pathetically. “You must think I am so crazy, right? To be so worked up when we hardly know each other?”

“Love at first sight, huh?” he chuckled against her.

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that,” Harley giggled, still embarrassed at being so needy around him...around any man for that matter.  This was all very unusual for her.

“Well, I’m not.” He pulled her back and cupped her cheeks with his big hands. His thumbs gently rubbed against the skin of her cheeks, and his brown eyes were gentle as he spoke. “I’ll be back in a few days. Will you wait for me?”

“I guess so,” Harley teased playfully.  Anything to deflect what she was feeling...

“You guess so, huh?” Chase growled as he threw her back on the bed and crawled over her. Harley’s laughter was quickly replaced by arousal as Chase settled between her legs. He pushed the sheet aside, leaving her bare to him as he kissed along her collarbone, grinning as she squirmed against him.  Just when she thought he was going to make love to her again, he pulled back, leaving her wanting and frustrated.

“You’re a jerk, Chase!” Harley pouted as Chase leaned up to stare down at her.

“Trust me, if I could stay here all day, I would.” He kissed her on the lips once more and reluctantly sat up.  "I'd like to call in sick and just stay in bed with you."

Harley sat up as well, still miffed about him leaving. 

"You could follow us to Houston," Chase offered, his eyes and tone hopeful even as he grinned at her.

"What, like a Chase Landry groupie, or something?"  Harley arched a sarcastic eyebrow at him.

"You'd be surprised at all the women that throw themselves at me."  He stood up, nonchalantly stretching as Harley's eyes narrowed on him.    Annoyed now, she crawled off the bed, taking the sheets with her as she made her way to the bathroom.  She ignored him as she picked up her clothes along the way, but just as she was about to close the door, Chase stopped it with his hand. 

"Are you mad at me now?"  Chase asked as he pushed his way into the bathroom.  Harley continued to ignore him as she sat on the edge of the tub, sheet still wrapped around her.  "Harley?"

"I need to get dressed, Chase."  Her tone was flat, all playfulness gone now. 

"I didn't mean anything by that, Harley," Chase began.  "I was just playin' around."

Harley's eyes flashed up at him accusingly.  "Oh, I'm sorry that I don't find that funny.  I mean, my fiance was cheating on me for two years, so women throwing themselves at you should be no big deal, right?"  Her chin trembled as she struggled to not cry.

Chase was taken aback at the change in her demeanor, and he crossed his arms over his chest.  "So now I get to pay for his mistakes, huh?"

"You're gonna be late, Chase," Harley mumbled as she fiddled with the edge of the sheet.   Chase knelt down in front of her, his hands on the sides of the tub, and he stared up at her.

"I'm sorry, okay?"  He tilted his head so that he could stare up at her.  "That was stupid to say, and I shouldn't have."

Harley shrugged miserably. "I'm too sensitive, and I overreacted."

"I'm not like that asshole, Harley.  If I'm with you, I'm with you."  Chase vowed solemnly.  "Simple as that."

"Okay," Harley mumbled, still unsure.   Sighing, Chase leaned up and kissed her on her forehead and stood up.

"I've gotta go, Harley.  I hate to leave you like this, but Dad's waiting for me."  He held out his hand to her. "Will you walk with me to the door at least?"

Wordlessly, Harley took his hand and followed him to the door, sheet still clutched against her chest.  When they reached the door, they stopped, and stood silently until Chase spoke.

"You don't have to check out til noon, so stay if you want.  It's all paid for." 

"Okay," Harley mumbled again, as she continued staring down at Chase's shoes.  He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her as his lips pressed against her forehead.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid, Harley," he murmured against her.  "I know you don't believe me, but that's not who I am.  Just give me a chance before you lump me in with all the rest of those assholes, okay?" 

Harley nodded, but did turn her face up to him for a soft kiss.  Chase cupped her cheeks and smiled down at her. 

"I'll see you soon?"

"Yep," she whispered, doing her best to smile at him.  Why the hell was this so hard?

With one more kiss on her lips and a tight hug, Chase walked out of the room, leaving Harley alone.  She looked around, seeing the crumpled bed sheets, and images of Chase and her making love flashed before her eyes.  Why was she so upset about him leaving?  Was she so upset because she really cared for Chase, or was he just a rebound from Jeromy?   She wanted to believe Chase, but it was so damn hard! 

Pushing those thoughts aside, she hurried back to the bathroom to get showered and dressed, and a half-hour later, she was headed out to her car and headed home.  Thankfully, Chase and Troy were nowhere to be found.  The last person she wanted was to see Troy, and to have to answer questions about her and Chase when she didn't even have a clue what was happening.  She got in her car and turned it on, waiting for the air to kick in and alleviate the heat.  Her phone buzzed in her purse, and she quickly dug it out, and with a smile, she saw that it was a text from Chase.

**Chase: I'm 5 minutes down the road and I miss you like crazy**

Feeling the sadness lift a little, she texted him back.  _He missed her!_

**Harley: I'm still in the parking lot, and I miss you more.  Hurry back.**

**Chase: As soon as I can get out of here, I'm coming back.**

**Harley: Yay!**

**Chase: I'll call you tonight when we're done, okay?**

**Harley:  Ok**

**Chase: Talk to you soon**

With another smile, Harley placed her cell phone back in her purse and buckled up.  A few minutes later, she was on the highway and headed back to her apartment, counting down the minutes until she could be with Chase again. 

* * *

When she finally got home and was settled, she sat on the couch, flipping through channels as her phone buzzed again.  It was Chase, and he'd sent another video.  This time, it was the Eli Young Band's [Crazy girl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3HwFtdVTfM).  She played the video, smiling and giggling as she did so.  She didn't want to read too much into the video and the words of the song or try to guess what he was feeling for her, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was falling fast and hard for Chase Landry, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so I just go with whatever pops up in my head...

_“Don’t believe what you see on the internet.”_

Chase’s words resounded in Harley’s head over and over as she stared at the laptop screen in front of her. She knew when she promised him that she would not look that it it was a lie.  From the moment the words left his mouth, her first instinct was to look, and she knew she would; it just wasn't in her nature to not look.

What did they say about curiousity? It killed the cat, right? Well, the images before her damn near killed her, and she regretted ever opening up her laptop and digging around. If you go looking, you’ll find something…that was for damn sure. 

Chase had gone to a tattoo convention in Los Angeles, and yes, it was against Harley’s wishes, but she’d kept that to herself.  She didn’t want to seem like the crazy, clingy girlfriend already! She and Chase had been dating for a few months, and things were going as well as could be expected, even though she still resided in Beaumont and he remained in Pierre Part. They met on the weekends, and whenever they had spare time it was always spent together. The show was gaining in popularity, and Chase was trying to branch out on his own, so the trip to Los Angeles had been a necessity, he had told her. She couldn’t go due to work and school, and now in hindsight she was both glad and upset that she hadn’t gone. That world in Los Angeles was a world she wasn’t comfortable with, and she wasn’t aware that Chase was either – until now. 

On the other hand, had she been there, maybe she could have kept him in line…

Her teeth clenched as her thoughts stopped there, heading right back down into that seething anger, and she slammed the laptop shut, no longer able to look at him with those bitches.  She shouldn’t have to chaperone him to ensure he didn’t screw around!  Why couldn’t he just be open with her, tell her the truth? Or why not just behave and not do those things? She knew she couldn’t trust him!

“Goddamnit!” she yelled to no one as she crawled off her bed and made her way to the kitchen. She shakily grabbed a glass and filled it with water, her trembling hands very nearly spilling it in the process. Thinking better of drinking water, she set the glass down and pulled the bottle of Jack from the cupboard and took a strong swig, wincing as it burned going down her throat, but relishing the numbing that would soon follow. She slid down the cabinets and sat on her butt, the bottle cradled against her chest as if it were a precious baby.

The first picture had bothered her, but had not sent her off the deep end. Chase was at this tattoo convention, and apparently he’d been chosen to be the judge of some tattooed model search. Okay, whatever, she thought to herself at the time. That wasn’t too bad, right? _Right??_  

She grimaced as she took another sip of the whiskey.

The next few pics were much the same – various women in skimpy bikinis, tattooed and modeling before Chase and the other judges. She scowled as she remembered the smile on his damn face. He seemed to be enjoying it just fine, the asshole.

Another swig…

The pictures that followed were the ones that sucker-punched her right in the gut.  Apparently the party had gotten wilder, and by the end of the night, the bikini girls were giving lap dances, and Chase just happened to be one of the lucky recipients. He sat there, shirtless like a jackass, and a drink in his hand, as some blonde bitch crawled all over him. Harley had stopped looking when she got to the pictures of the other two girls – the topless ones – that followed the blonde girl. She felt her stomach turn again as she tried to erase the images from her mind, but it was no use – it was as if they were burned in her memory and she couldn’t escape them.  She took another long swallow of the whiskey, praying that it would take effect quickly. She needed to numb this pain that was threatening to take over, that was ripping her heart out of her chest. It was a physical, burning pain that she could intimately feel, and all she wanted to do was make it stop – by whatever means necessary.

It was worse than finding out about Jeromy.  Way worse than she’d ever imagined because it was Chase that did this to her.  She knew that she was in love with Chase, and that she’d never really been in love with Jeromy, nor he with her. They’d spoken, her and Jeromy, and both had admitted that staying together had been more of a habit for so long, and one that served both their needs at the time.  Harley would have the ideal husband, career, and life, and Jeromy would maintain his family’s image of him; neither were what the other really wanted, and certainly not with each other.  What a relief it had been to finally admit the truth to each other!   Harley had even spoken to Jeromy of Chase, and he had spoken of Ronnie, and both were happy for each other as they moved on into their new lives. For all intents and purposes, she and Ronnie were friends again, and Harley was happy to keep it that way.

Chase, however, didn’t like the fact that she and Jeromy were friends again, and before all of this, Harley would have agreed with him. It was weird, given the fact that Jeromy was gay, but Harley could maybe see that keeping her relationship with Jeromy wasn't the best thing where Chase was concerned.  They’d even fought about it a few times, and she had been willing to cut off all ties with Jeromy if it was what Chase wanted, but not anymore.  Not after Los Angeles.  She took another long drink of the whiskey, a weary, but relieved smile appearing as she felt the effects finally start to kick in.  It no longer burned as it went down, and she didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing, and honestly, she really didn’t even care. She sat on the floor staring up the refrigerator door, the picture of her and Chase in happier times seeming to taunt her.  Another big drink, and her vision blurred and the room tilted a little under her hand. 

Good.

The fuzzier her view got, the less it hurt, so she’d just keep drinking until the pain went away.


	22. Chapter 22

Her head was pounding, and it was loud as all fucking hell. As she opened her eyes just a crack and focused on the television, she realized the pounding was not coming from her head but from someone banging on her front door. The light coming in through the living room window was so damn bright, and she immediately closed her eyes again and rolled over, slowing down as her stomach rolled with the movements.  God, she had drank too much last night!  She placed her hands over her eyes and massaged her temples with her fingertips, hoping and praying that the room would stop spinning, but the damn pounding on the door continued.

“I’m coming,” she croaked as loud as possible as she crawled off the couch. The empty bottle of Jack lay on the floor next to the couch and she shuddered in disgust; she’d drank the whole damn thing.  She probably had alcohol poisoning now!  She clutched at her stomach and swallowed the nausea that pushed up into her throat as she flung the door open.

It was Chase.

It was her breaking point, seeing him now, and she couldn’t handle it. Placing a hand over her mouth, she left him standing there and ran down the hall and into the bathroom, just in time to throw up. She was still heaving when Chase appeared in the doorway.

“Get out,” she whispered shakily. Her hands were trembling as she reached up to flush the toilet, and her skin was covered with a thin sheen of cold sweat and goosebumps.

“Harley, we need to talk,” Chase stubbornly replied.

“Get. Out.” Harley repeated as she reached over and turned on the shower.  When she turned back, Chase was gone, and had closed the door behind him.  Good!  She slowly peeled her clothes off and carefully stepped into the shower, sighing in relief as the warm water washed over her. 

 

* * *

 

A half-hour later, Harley walked down the hall to her bedroom, wrapped only in a towel. She was shocked to see Chase sitting on her bed, and she clutched the towel closer to her chest in an effort to cover up.

“What are you doing in here?” She was practically hissing, but really, she wasn’t all that surprised to see that he was still here. The man was one of the most stubborn people she’d ever met in her life…

“We need to talk, and I knew you would have to get dressed.” He shrugged his broad shoulders as he stared up at her. “Harley, I’m sorry, okay?”

Ignoring him, Harley grabbed her clothes and marched to her bathroom and slammed the door. She got dressed, brushed her teeth, and piled her hair up on top of her head in a messy bun. Knowing she couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Chase was sitting in the same spot on her bed.

“I want you to leave.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the far wall, unable to meet his eyes.

“Harley…baby…let me explain, okay?” Chase stood up and walked over to her.  When he reached out to take her in his arms, Harley slapped him, furious, as the hot, angry tears rolled down her cheeks. With the crack of her palm against his jaw echoing loud in the room, Chase stepped back from her, and Harley could see his jaw clenching in anger as he struggled to control himself.

“I guess I deserved that,” he muttered quietly as he shoved one of his hands in his pocket, while the other gingerly rubbed his reddening cheek.

“That and then some!” Harley spat in disgust. Her heart was pumping hard in her chest, just as furious as she was. “Did you enjoy yourself? You and all your little bikini models?” Her voice was positively dripping with acid as she stared at him.

“While I was there? Yes, Harley. Yes, I enjoyed myself.” Chase admitted flatly, his brown eyes steady on her. 

He enjoyed it. _He enjoyed it?_

Harley felt the air rush out of her lungs yet again, and she had to steady herself with a shaky hand on the dresser. She had not expected that to come from him. She had assumed he’d apologize profusely, say how it was all a mistake, and promise never to do it again. Never in a million years did she think he would tell her he enjoyed it. She closed her eyes as she felt faint, willing herself to remain upright. How could he hurt her like this and not even bat an eyelash? When she opened her eyes she saw Chase, still standing there in the spot before her.

“Do you wanna hear what I have to say, Harley?” Chase asked her quietly.

“What does it matter?” Harley whispered as she made her way to the bed. She had to sit down before she fell down.

“Maybe it doesn’t matter to you, but it matters to me.” Chase followed her and sat on the edge of the bed, far away from her.

“You just said you enjoyed yourself.” Harley looked up at him, her eyes heavy with tears. “How could you hurt me like that?”

“I needed to get away, Harley. I couldn’t handle you remaining friends with Jeromy, and it was driving me insane.  So yes, in short, I enjoyed myself in L.A. I didn’t have to worry about you and him hangin’ out, about you still havin’ feelings for him, none of that.”

Harley looked up at Chase with wide, disbelieving eyes.

“Are you serious right now? Like really serious? You’re gonna blame that shit on my relationship with Jeromy!?” Harley was stunned, completely blown away by Chase’s admission.

“Not blamin' it on anything other than my stupidity,” Chase shrugged again, “and probably jealousy.”

“Jeromy’s gay, Chase!” Harley was practically yelling. “Don’t you realize that?  What is there to be jealous of?  He left me for another man!!” 

“And you’re closer to him than you are to me, aren’t you, Harley?” Chase countered. _“Don’t you realize that?_ That despite the fact that he’s gay, and that he cheated on you, that you still care for him.  Why can’t you just admit that?”

“You’re so fucking stupid, Chase,” Harley muttered under her breath. “Stupid, fucking ass!”

“Yeah? I’m the stupid ass, okay.  You’re probably right. Stupid for thinking I could compete with Jeromy and all this shit.” Chase waved his hands around angrily. He stood up and walked from the room, leaving Harley in shock yet again. She hopped off the bed and quickly followed after him, catching him just as he opened the door.

“Don’t you dare leave, Chase Landry!” She was screeching, her voice sounding shrill to her ears even as she reached around him and slammed the door shut. Chase’s jaw was flexing again as he stared up at the ceiling, and she could feel the tension radiating off of him.

“I don’t think now’s a good time to talk.” His voice was as calm as could be expected, and Harley knew she was inching her way into dangerous territory, but she didn’t give one damn bit right now.  Chase might be stubborn, but she was just as stubborn if not more!

“No, you’re gonna talk to me, Chase!” Harley stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest as she glared up at him. “It’s the least you can do!”

Chase pulled off his ball cap and stared down at her, his brown eyes no longer soft but hard, flashing in his anger. “I saw all the text messages between you and him. I saw everything.”

“What?” Harley gasped as she stepped back from Chase, her hand at her mouth.

“Don’t _what_ me, Harley,” Chase growled as he stepped closer to her. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Gay or not, did you think those were okay?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Chase!” Harley firmly brushed off his comments as she moved away from him, back into the living room and towards the couch.

“Oh I think you do,” he continued his badgering as he followed her. “He gets to meet your mother, but not me? You talk to him about our sex life, about me!?” Chase jammed a finger into his chest angrily.

Harley sank down on the couch, now realizing she’d been caught.  Everything he had said was true, and she knew when she’d done those things that it would hurt Chase if he’d ever found out, but she’d done it anyway. Her heart pounded in her chest, palpitating wildly with anxiety over what would come next.  She should have never remained that close with Jeromy.

“You’re right, Chase,” she admitted quietly.

“That’s the man you were engaged to, the man you slept with and dated for a long time, and you think it’s okay to talk to him about me?” Chase sneered, his mouth set in angry lines.

“No, Chase, it wasn’t okay, and I know that,” Harley timidly agreed.. She didn’t know what to say. Chase was right and she was wrong - so very, very wrong.

“You were never all in with me, were you, Harley?” Chase hotly accused. “All the times I ran after you, all the times I drove back and forth, it was never good enough, was it?”

“I don’t know what to say, Chase,” Harley offered weakly. She looked up at him, her vision blurry with tears of regret. “I was scared.”

“Of what?” Chase’s voice was rising in his anger, causing Harley to flinch. She’d never seen him so mad, and especially never with her.

“I don’t know.” She shrank back against the couch, hoping that Chase would drop it, or leave, or something. Anything to spare her from this conversation!

“Goddamnit, Harley! Tell me! I read it in the text messages, but I wanna hear it from your fuckin’ mouth!” Chase bellowed, causing Harley to jump again. He leaned down, one hand on the arm of the couch and one at the back, trapping Harley in-between.

“You told Jeromy that you weren’t sure you loved me the way I loved you, right?” Chase was practically nose to nose with her, leaving Harley no escape. She could see the veins in his forehead as they throbbed along with his anger.

“Yes,” she nodded.

“And that you weren’t sure you could ever love me the way you loved him, ain't that right?” Chase’s voice was low and menacing, causing shivers to run up and down Harley’s body.

“Yeah...I told him that, yes.” Harley stared into Chase’s eyes, and, not surprisingly reflected back at her was the same kind of pain she was feeling. Now she could see it, could see what she had done to Chase with her games.  “But it’s not because I was in love with Jeromy.”

Chase stood up, moved over to the love seat and sat down on the edge as he warily regarded Harley.  She could see his chest heaving, and she knew without a doubt he was doing everything he could to reign in his anger before it overtook him.

“I was afraid, Chase.” Harley wrapped her arms around herself protectively. “Jeromy was safe, because I knew he’d never be able to hurt me the way you could.  It was just easier to talk to him about real things I guess.”

“What the fuck does that even mean, Harley?” Chase snarled.

“It means I love you.” Harley whispered as she stared at the ground in front of her. “It means that I love you and I'm scared to death.” She looked up at Chase as she bared herself to him, and she had never felt more vulnerable than she did in that moment before him.  Not even with Jeromy, not with anyone. 

Jeromy had been the first to tell Harley he loved her, and she had done the obligatory thing and said she loved him too, even though she knew in her heart that what she felt for him wasn’t love. She was even more aware of that now that she had developed these feelings about Chase. True, she’d felt sick after finding out about Jeromy, but it was her pride that was hurt more than anything. When she saw Chase with those girls, she felt like her heart was physically being ripped from her body - that was the difference between what she felt for Jeromy versus what she felt for Chase. Chase stood up and began pacing restlessly for a few moments.

“You know how fuckin' stupid that sounds, right?” Chase glared at her again, the disdain clear on his face. He was so angry with her, and she could see it in the way his shoulders were squared off as he stalked toward the window leading outside and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

“I know it does, but it’s the truth.” Yes, it sounded ridiculous even to her ears.  What the hell had she been thinking?

Chase stood next to the window, hands folded over his chest and jaw clenching as he stared outside.

“So, you love me, but you’re afraid, so you tell your ex-fiancee - who happens to be gay and cheated on you - and you tell him all of this, but not me? And all because you love me?” Chase turned his heated gaze on her, daring her to disagree with his summation.

He was looking at her with such contempt, and Harley was doing her best to take it on the chin, but _my how quickly_ he forgot about the shit he did in Los Angeles with those girls!  She had tried to apologize, to explain, but he obviously wasn’t interested in hearing it.   _Why wouldn't he at least hear her out?_ He was hardly an innocent angel, and two wrongs did not a right make!  She stood up, back ram-rod straight as she mulishly glared right back at him.

“Well it seems like my fears weren’t that stupid, were they?” Harley crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her nose up at him contemptuously.

“This was a mistake from the get-go, wasn’t it?” Chase sounded defeated as he turned back to stare out the window. “From the moment we met, it’s been like oil and water. When we were in Louisiana it was fine, but once we get back here, you’re a completely different person, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, you’re a different person too, Chase.” Harley’s voice hitched as she thought about Chase in Los Angeles with those women. It turned her stomach again, and she fought the wave of nausea as it rolled over her. Just like that, her anger was deflated and a surge of sadness engulfed her.  What were they even fighting about?

“So now what?” Chase asked quietly, and Harley fought back tears as she heard the strain in his voice.  Was he giving up on her?  When he turned to look at her, she could see the anguish in his eyes, and she was sure it must have matched hers. She was very nearly on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Never once did she think they would end up like this.   All she wanted to do was fall to her knees and beg him to forgive her, to give them another chance, but instead she just shrugged her shoulders as she replied.  She needed to let him off the hook – they needed to let each other off the hook – before any more damage was done.

“I guess that’s it.” She hoped her voice sounded as confident as she was trying to sound, because Lord knows her heart was breaking right in two…

Chase’s eyebrows rose just imperceptibly, and Harley wondered if it was in disbelief that she was giving up so quickly, or if it was relief that he no longer had to deal with her? Probably the latter, she painfully surmised.

“Too bad we couldn’t just stay in Pierre Part, huh?” Chase’s voice was still gruff, and his attempt at a joke fell flat in the chasm between them.

“I should have never gone to Louisiana..” Harley murmured as she wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold.  She stared off into space, unable to meet his eyes. She felt numb, empty and cold.

“Then you would have never met me.” Chase finished for her. “Do you wish that, Harley? That we’d never met?” His voice was softer now, but Harley still couldn’t meet his eyes.  She didn't want to see what was there, whatever it was. 

“I do,” she choked out painfully. It would make things so much easier if they’d never met.  Hell, they wouldn’t be going through this now if she’d never met Chase Landry!  Why was life so fucking unfair!? 

When after a few moments, and no response from Chase, Harley chanced a look over at him. He was standing with his hands in his pockets, his shoulders no longer straight, but slumped dejectedly, and his mouth was turned down in a strained frown. She could see his jaw flexing, and she wondered what was going on in his head.  She regretted so much all the things they had done to hurt each other, and wished that she could go back and do things differently, but it was impossible. Chase had a big future ahead of him and she needed to let him go, just as much as she needed to let herself go and figure out what she really wanted in life.

“Chase….I-”

His head snapped up to stare at her, and she was taken aback at the raw hurt she saw in his eyes. She’d done it again, gone and hurt him, and there was not a damn thing she could do about it, no way to take back the words she’d hastily spoken.

“Don’t.” He warned her softly as he dug his keys out of his pocket and walked over to the front door.  Harley stood rooted in her spot, trembling as the tears began rolling down her cheeks in earnest.  With his hand on the knob, Chase stopped and lifted his head towards the ceiling as he spoke.

“You know, I loved you, Harley. I love you.  Yeah, you hurt me and I reacted like a goddamn child and did that stupid shit, but it never meant anything, and I never cheated on you.” His jaw was flexing again as he fought his own emotions.  “I would have given it all up for you, but I don’t think even that woulda' been enough.” He turned to look at her, and Harley’s breath caught when she saw that his eyes were glossy as well.

“I realized what I wanted in LA, and it wasn’t those girls, and it wasn’t that life, but I guess I’m too fuckin’ late. When you figure out what it is you want in life, you come find me. You know where I’ll be.”

Without another word, Chase slipped out the front door, and a few moments later she heard his truck roar to life. She waited, breath held, as he backed out of her driveway. When she could no longer hear his engine, she stumbled back over to the couch and collapsed. He’d barely been there for an hour, and they’d undone everything they'd ever had together. Just like that, it was all over, and he was gone.  For whatever reason, some small part of her assumed that he wouldn’t _really_ leave, and that he wouldn’t _really_ break up with her, but he’d actually done it.  He was really gone.  Harley took a deep breath and wiped her face, resolving to calm herself down.  What’s done was done. She needed to move on, and move on quick. She picked up her cell phone, decision made.

“Jeromy? It’s me. Yeah, I’ll do it. I want the job, so tell them I’ll do it.”

A few moments later she hung up, both relieved and scared to death. Jeromy had called her a few weeks back and told her of an internship being offered in DC. They needed a recent college graduate with a background in communications and a passion for working on issues such as mental health and poverty – both of which were very close to Harley’s heart. While there, she was going to attempt to transfer into a graduate program, hopefully something in public policy.  Since Jeromy had called her, she’d applied to Georgetown and numerous other colleges in the DC area, and had gotten some favorable responses from a few.  Now, it was just a matter of choosing which school to go to. 

She sat back against the couch, staring at her fingers and realizing that they were still trembling. She couldn’t sit here any longer, because if she did, she would start thinking, and if she started thinking, she would start second-guessing herself, and if she started second-guessing herself, she would get on the phone and beg Chase to take her back, and she knew that wouldn’t be good for either of them at the moment.  She hopped off the couch and manically began cleaning up her house, doing anything she could to keep her mind off Chase.  She was leaving in less than three weeks, so as long as she could keep herself busy for that amount of time, she would survive.  Just keep moving and don't think - that was the key. 

Keep moving.

 

* * *

This is who Harley and Chase remind me of. Both so damn hard-headed, and can't see the forest for the trees...

 


	23. Chapter 23

**2 years later…**

Harley sat in the chair, numb as she watched them lower the casket into the massive hole before her. Her mother had overdosed on prescription medication, and now they were here at the funeral. Her mother had never done well with the move to D.C., and a few weeks ago, Harley had gotten her an apartment  and moved her back home to Beaumont. Three days ago, the nurse Harley had hired to help her mother found her in her bathroom, the empty bottle of pills sitting next to her on the cold tiled,  floor. It was all surreal, and Harley knew the shock hadn’t quite set in yet.  

A hand on her shoulder jerked her out of her detached stupor, and she looked up, her eyes focusing on her brother.  She’d not seen Tommy in some 20 years or so, and even now it was a bit of a shock to see the man before her. Her brother was older than her, by almost 10 years, and looked exactly like their father. It was a bit disconcerting, and Harley had to mentally shake herself. 

“We should go, Harley. It’s startin' to rain,” Tommy’s voice was firm but gentle as he took her elbow and helped her to her feet. The rain started coming down harder, pelting the canopy furiously.  Harley looked over at the workers, and saw that the casket was completely lowered, and that they were now beginning to throw the dirt down on top of it. She felt her lungs constrict, almost as if a band was squeezing around her chest, and she found it hard to breathe.

“Tommy…I can’t….” she gasped as she clutched at her brother’s arm in desperation, her vision getting dimmer by the moment. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t catch her breath and she couldn’t breathe. With each pile of dirt thrown in the hole, her breath grew fainter and fainter.  “I’m gonna….Tom…”

Darkness was the last thing she remembered.

* * *

 

“Harley? How are you feeling, sweetie?” Angela’s voice was subdued in the dim room.  Angela was Tommy’s wife, and she, along with their 3 children, were all here at Harley’s mother's apartment in Beaumont.

“I’m okay, I think,” Harley mumbled as she tried to sit up. Feeling dizzy, she lay back down immediately.

“You still feeling sick?” Angela lightly rested the back of her hand against Harley’s forehead in that motherly way. “You don’t have a fever. I think you’re just in shock, hun.” Angela was a nurse, so she of all people would know what was going on.

“Yeah, probably so,” Harley weakly agreed. “How’s Tommy?”

“I still think that’s so cute to hear you call him that,” Angela replied with a cheeky smile.

“I’m sorry,” Harley giggled. “How’s Thomas doing?”

“ _Tommy_ is doing fine, Harley. He’s a bit shaken up, as we all are, but he’s okay.” Angela reached over and grabbed Harley’s hand and held it in hers. “I’m so sorry this happened, Harley.”

Harley quickly waved her off, unable to deal with anything emotional right now. It was just too much.

“So, tell me all about the kids.” Harley gave her best smile as she attempted to change the subject. With a knowing nod, Angela smiled back, but obliged nevertheless.

“Well, Thomas, Jr., is 14. Adam is 11, and Shelby just turned 5.” Angela’s voice got even softer as she spoke of her children. “As a matter of fact, I’m surprised that Shelby is not in here now. Ever since she found out she has an aunt, she’s been dying to meet you.”

Harley chuckled as she slowly sat up, and she was relieved that the room was much more stable this time. “Well, I am just as excited to meet them. I could punch Tommy for never telling me,” Harley half-jokingly grumbled.  Why had she and Tommy ever drifted apart?

“Well, we can’t undo the past you know? All we can do is move forward.  I’m sure Thomas has his reasons, and I was shocked to find out about you as well.” Angela squeezed Harley’s hand again before releasing it. “I only hope we can pull together now as a family, you know?” 

Harley stared at Angela curiously, wondering just how much her brother's wife knew about their family.   It seemed she was well-versed on what was going on, but Harley had never heard from Tommy after he left them so long ago.  She was 10 at the time, and it was right after their father had died, and Harley had grown up wondering about her brother for years.  The only news she got was in passing from friends or relatives, but she never put much stock in it.  She figured if Tommy wanted her to know, he would have called her himself.  But he never did, and so she gave up.  Right now, she didn't know how she felt about her brother and his family being here after all this time.  They seemed nice enough, but the unresolved issues were still there, simmering just below the surface. 

Just then, the door opened, and Harley’s brother peeked in, jerking Harley from her musings. 

“Come in, babe. She’s awake now.” Angela smiled at Harley as she stood up, and then walked over and kissed Thomas on the cheek. “I’ll give you guys some time, okay?” Thomas stood awkwardly by the door as his wife left, closing the door softly behind her.

"It’s okay, Tommy.” Harley sat up in the bed and propped her back against the headboard. “Excuse me, Thomas, I mean.”   She wryly grinned up at him, and was relieved when Tommy smiled back. He walked over and sat down in the chair his wife had pulled up beside the bed.

“How you feelin’, Harley?” Tommy asked, and again Harley smiled, shocked.

“I see you’ve retained your accent that daddy gave you.”  Her brother was a very successful lawyer now, and Harley would have assumed that he would have dropped that accent a long time ago in his line of work.

“You can take the boy out the bayou, but you can’t take the bayou out the boy, right?” Tommy smiled again,deepening his accent even further. “You hardly look like that skinny little girl playing down by the river that I remember, though.”

“Yeah, 20 years and life will do that to you.” Harley quipped. She couldn’t stay playful for long, though - too many questions that needed answers. “Why did you never call, Tommy? Why did you leave the way you did?”  Granted they were never super close, but still.  Harley was about 10 when Tommy had left, and she always wondered if it was something she had done to drive him away. 

“There’s a lot of stuff you didn’t know, Harley.  A lot of fights with me and Daddy, and then Mama getting sick the way she was, I had to get out before it destroyed me.” Tommy’s voice was regretful as she spoke. “I never wanted to leave you, but I just couldn’t stay there.”

“But you left Mama, too!” Harley accused. “You knew she was sick, but you left her too!”

“I know, Harley. When Daddy died, I couldn’t stay any longer.” Tommy took a deep breath and bowed his head before continuing. “Look, Kathy wasn’t my mother, Harley. You and I are half-siblings. When daddy died, I felt out of place.  Even more out of place than I did before. I didn’t know my real mama, and watching Kathy wither away was too much for me.”

Harley stared at him, blinking in disbelief at what she was hearing. How was this possible?  How had she never known?  Why hadn’t any one told her?

“Look, I know you’re in shock, and I didn’t wanna lay this on you now, but I felt like it was enough with the secrets and stuff, you know?” Tommy added.

“Why did no one ever tell me?” Harley whispered.  She was so confused now, and felt even more disjointed from everyone than she already did. 

“I have no idea why things were done the way they were. I gave up on trying to figure it out and went on with my life. Our family was just one of those crazy, dysfunctional ones that just never worked.  I’m happy now, Harley. I’ve got a great wife, great kids, a great career. I couldn’t ask for more, you know?”

Harley stared at her brother, still reeling from the news she’d just received.

“We can talk more in a bit, Harley, but right now I think we all need to get some rest, okay?” Tommy patted the bed beside her thigh,  careful not to actually touch her. While they were never all that close growing up, it was painfully obvious just how far apart they’d drifted over the years. “Do you want us to stay here with you, or get to the hotel? Either way is fine.”

"No, you can go on to your hotel, Tommy," Harley replied.  "I think I need some time to clear my head a bit, you know?"

"You sure?  It's not problem, and I don't know if leaving you alone here is the best thing," Tommy continued. 

"Please go, Tommy," Harley replied, a bit more forcefully this time.  She really wanted to be alone. 

Taking the hint, her brother stood up and ran a hand through his hair. 

"We'll head back over tomorrow morning, okay?  Got to call the insurance companies and all that.  I figure I can at least help with that, with the legal stuff." 

"Okay," Harley mumbled as she rolled over and pulled the covers up to her chin.  "Please lock the door behind you."

"Sure thing, Harley." 

Harley felt Tommy gently pat her on her shoulder and she flinched, causing him to immediately withdraw his hand.  Without another word, he left the room, and from her spot on the bed, Harley could hear them all leaving.  The kids were complaining about not meeting Harley, but it was short-lived, and before too long, the apartment was quiet yet again. 

Harley closed her eyes and did her best to get some sleep, but it was elusive at best.  The thoughts in her mind were swirling about uneasily, unanswered questions, grief, and fear all vying for her attention.  Not for the first time in her life did she feel all alone yet again.  Maybe it was something she just needed to get used to, to reconcile with the fact that she was really completely alone in this world?  She'd done so well in D.C., and now here she was, laying in bed alone and doing her damnedest to not fall apart.  It was no use; her heart was about to pound out of her chest, it was beating so rapidly.  The longer she lay in bed, the more anxious she got, so she flung the covers off and headed back down to the living room.  Maybe she could zone out to some mindless television...

 


	24. Chapter 24

When Harley entered the living room and flicked on the light,  she was stunned to see flowers of every shape and size fighting for space all over the small apartment.  Who were all these people that sent these flowers to her mother?  She walked through the living room, plucking cards as she went along.  Most were from people that she didn't know, and all were filled with condolences and offers of help, should Harley need some.  As she made her way to the kitchen, she saw a smaller bouquet of flowers, but this one was different somehow.  She could smell the gardenias before she reached it, and she smiled to herself.  She'd know that smell anywhere, as they were her most favorite flowers.  The beautifully fragrant blossoms were intermixed with vibrant lilacs, seated in a clear vase.  It was simple, but beautiful, and she wondered who'd sent this particular arrangement.  She pulled the small card from it's holder and opened it.

_Sorry for your loss. I’m always here if you need me. Same place, same number._

_Chase_

Harley sank down in the chair, the card falling from her fingers and landing on the table.  She got that feeling again, that feeling where her chest was being squeezed in a vice-grip, and she was again finding it hard to breathe.  Panic attacks were becoming all too frequent lately, and each time they terrified the absolute shit out of her.   She closed her eyes and took some deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but she could feel her heart continuing to beat wildly in her chest.  She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Jeromy’s number, her breathing becoming more and more shallow.  When it went to voicemail, she thought she was going to pass out for sure.  Not wanting to bother Tommy, she did the thing she swore she’d never do again and dialed Chase’s number. She was desperate and out of options, and he was the last person she could call.  He picked up on the second ring.

“Harley?” His voice washed over her, the calming effect almost instantaneous.  Harley breathed out a sigh of relief and lay her head on the table, the phone clutched tightly against her ear.

“Thank you for picking up,” Harley whispered into the darkness.

“Are you alright, baby?” Chase asked.

“No. I’m falling apart, and I can’t breathe, Chase. I’m having a panic attack I think…and I…” Harley struggled for air, doing her best to battle the anxiety that was rising ever so quickly yet again.

“I’m gonna come over, Harley, if you want me to? I’m in Lake Charles, so it won’t take me long.” Harley could hear Chase shuffling around, and she tried to distract herself by thinking about what he was doing. “Harley?”

“Yeah?” She mumbled against the phone.

“Do you want me to come or not?” Chase asked.

“Please do,” Harley answered quickly.

She chewed on her nail as she clung to the phone. It was like a life-line for her, the only grip on reality that she could find in the darkness and she refused to let it go.  While she had turned on every single light in the house, she still felt like the shadows were creeping in on her, that they would envelope her at the first chance they got.

“Chase?” Harley timidly whispered again.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Will you stay on the line til you get here? I can’t let go…” Harley struggled, her breath hitching on the last few words as the tears threatened to overtake her again.  She had been sure that she was all but cried out, but here they were again.  She was so damn exhausted from crying, and the panic attacks were only making things worse.  God, what if she kept having them? What if they never-

“Sure thing, sweetheart.” Chase’s comforting voice came over the line, jerking her back from the edge yet again. “I’m putting my shoes on now and getting in the truck. Should be there in about an hour or so, but I’ll stay on the line as long as you need me.”

“Thank you,” Harley whispered again as she dragged herself from the chair and headed back into the living room.

She pushed all her suitcases and backpacks off the couch and onto the floor, not caring where they landed. She then crawled on the couch and curled up in a ball, wrapping herself up in the blanket as she held the phone to her ear.  She could hear Chase walking, and then she heard the chiming of the truck door opening, followed shortly thereafter by the familiar roar of his truck engine. With her eyes closed, she smiled, remembering the first time she’d heard that truck engine so long ago on that bridge.

“Harley? You there, sweetie?” Chase called to her softly.

“Yeah,” she whispered through a yawn.

“Okay, just checking on you.”

Harley could hear the smile in Chase’s voice, and the corners of her mouth lifted up in a small smile of her own. How she had missed hearing his voice…

“I’m driving now, baby. As fast as I can.”

“Don’t get in a wreck,” Harley grumbled. “I remember how you drive.”

“You tryin’ to say I’m a bad driver?” Chase chuckled in response.

“Not bad, just wreckless. Lead foot.” Harley’s voice was growing weaker as she began to get drowsy.

“If I remember correctly, it was you who had the lead foot, sweetheart.”

“Pfft…” Harley snorted through another yawn.

“Harley? I can hear you’re getting sleepy. Is the door gonna be unlocked, or how do I get in?” Chase’s voice was louder this time as he attempted to keep Harley awake.

“I’m gonna go put the key under the mat on the front porch right now.” Harley slowly sat up, the phone still gripped tightly in her hand and held against her ear as she put the key in place. When she was back on the couch, wrapped up again, she yawned loudly, earning another chuckle from Chase.

“In Orange now, baby,” Chase informed her.

“Okay. I’m gonna fall asleep, Chasey…” Harley mumbled into the phone again. Her eyelids were so heavy, the anxiety attacks a thing of the past – at least for the moment.

“Get some rest, sweetie. I’ll be there soon.”

Harley let her eyelids close, and a few moments later the phone fell slack from her hands as she finally fell into a somewhat peaceful sleep.

* * *

 

She was so warm, and it felt so good to not be shivering anymore. She snuggled in closer to the source of the warmth, but her eyes popped open when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and pull her in tighter. She was staring at a bare chest, and she would know those tattoos anywhere.

“Chase?”

“Mmm-huh,” Chase mumbled against her. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before wrapping his arm around her even tighter.

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

Chase lifted his arm, along with the covers, off of her, and Harley quickly scooted out and headed to the bathroom. Once inside, she sat on the edge of the bathtub as she tried to clear her foggy mind. The last few days were a blur, and it was all so much to take in. Her mother was dead, her brother and his wife and kids were here, their mom wasn’t really Tommy’s mom, and now Chase was here. 

_Chase was here, and he was in her bed._

Her heart was pounding against her ribs as she hastily cleaned up, brushed her teeth and her hair, and slapped on some deodorant. One quick glance in the mirror showed her how bad she looked. Three straight days of crying and not sleeping would do that to you. Her cheeks were gaunt, and her skin was pallid – even more so in the harsh bathroom light. She needed to take better care of herself, that was for sure. With one last look, she shrugged and headed back out to the bed. Chase was asleep still, and she took just a moment to stare at him.

The sun had just started to rise outside, and the light was spreading throughout the room from the windows. The sheets were bunched at his waist, and she had an unencumbered view of his body. She remembered those tattoos well, although that huge one across his chest had to be different. It was some kind of cross or heart, and it had writing in it, but she couldn’t make it out from here. From the way his hand was resting on her spot, she could see he had what appeared to be a bright, red rose on the back of his hand. That too, was new. He seemed like he had gotten a bit thicker, more muscled if that were possible. Everything else was the same, though. The stubble on his cheeks was there, just as she remembered, and even in his sleep he was flexing that damn jaw of his. From that smooth, tanned skin of his chest and arms, all the way up to his unruly brown hair, he was just as she’d remembered him. She had to bite her lip to keep from grinning ear to ear at the sight of him in her bed.

“I know you're standin’ over there like a weirdo,” Chase mumbled from the bed. He lifted the sheet again. “Get over here, woman.”

Blushing from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair at being caught staring, Harley hurried over and crawled back in bed with Chase. If Chase was feeling any nervousness, he didn’t show it, as he once again pulled her into his chest and held her close to him.

“How you feelin’ this mornin’?” Chase nuzzled his nose against her hair, inhaling deeply, and Harley could hear the smile in his voice.

“Better now.” Harley had her hands awkwardly folded in front of her, unsure of where to put them, but Chase reached down and grabbed a hand and placed it at his waist. Harley’s smile grew even bigger, and she dared to push her nose against that spot under his chin that she had always loved so much.  He still smelled like Chase -that heady mixture of cologne, a hint of sweat and outdoors…but was that a cigarette she smelled? She sniffed again, wrinkling her nose as she tried to place the unfamiliar smell.

“Have you been smoking?”

“Here and there. Tryin’ to quit, though,” Chase admitted a bit sheepishly. “Do I stink?”

“Of course not! You just smell…different, I guess.”  Harley hugged him tighter and pressed her lips against the hollow of his neck. He most certainly did not stink, that she was sure of!

“I can go shower if you want me to,” Chase continued, but Harley shook her head as she gripped his waist tighter. Although the idea of a wet, naked Chase in her bathroom made her stomach flip-flop, she didn’t want to let him go so soon! Not even to the bathroom.

“Please don’t leave me.” Her voice sounded small, and she did her best to not sound too needy, but it was obvious that she was getting emotional again.

“I’m here as long as you need me, baby.”  Chase tightened his grip on her lower back and pulled her even closer to him as he rolled over onto his back.  Harley took a deep breath and released it, settling in closer to Chase as she rested her cheek against his hard chest.  His heart beat in that steady rhythm that she remembered falling asleep to so many nights,  and for this moment in time, everything was right in the Harley's world again.

"I missed you, Chase," Harley whispered against him, and she felt her eyes fill with tears when his grip tightened yet again on her shoulder.  He kissed her on top of her head as his fingers gently rubbed the skin he'd uncovered under the sleeve of her tee-shirt.

"Did you?"

"I did," Harley whispered again.  God how she had missed this man! She clenched her eyes shut in an attempt to hold the tears at bay, but a few trickled out and landed on Chase's bare chest. 

"Are you okay, Harley?"  Chase asked, his voice filled with concern.  "Are you crying?"  He moved to sit up, but Harley hugged him tighter to hold him down.

"I'm okay, Chase," Harley sniffled against him.  "I'm just glad that you're here."

"Well I'm glad you called me."  Settling down, he kissed her on top of her head again.  "I missed you like fuckin' crazy."

"It's been a long time," Harley mumbled through a yawn as she snuggled against him. 

"Go to sleep, sweetie," Chase chuckled as he pulled the sheets up over them.  "We'll talk about all that tomorrow, okay?"

Chase got no response to that, as Harley had already fallen fast asleep, the past few days having taken their toll on her and pushed her into sheer exhaustion.   He lay there for some time, wondering how he was going to navigate this thing between them, but knowing that he couldn't lose her again.  It had nearly killed him the first time, and he would be damned if he'd go through that hell again.  He just couldn't lose her again, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that didn't happen. 

 


	25. Chapter 25

When Harley woke up again, she was alone.  She picked up her phone and saw that it was after 11am! Damn! How in the world had she slept so long?

She hopped out of bed and opened her door, listening for noise in the house, and was surprised when she heard the sound of her niece laughing. Her brother was here? She quickly closed the door and rushed to the bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed.

A little while later, she stepped out of the bathroom to find Chase lying on her bed, his legs dangling off the side as he played on his phone. He sat up when she stepped out, an easy smile appearing as he looked her over. Harley blushed again as she self-consciously wrapped the towel around her body.

“I just wanted to come tell you that your brother is here, along with his wife and their kids.” Chase stood up and shoved his phone in his pocket.

“I heard,” Harley mumbled as she walked over to her suitcase and began rummaging through it. It was a fine balance to find what she needed without having to bend over so much that her ass hung out in full view! God, she was so embarrassed, and Chase, damn him, just stood there and watched her. She could feel his eyes on her, heating her skin even more!

“Do you need anything else?”

Harley stood up, ramrod straight when she realized he was standing right behind her.  She shivered, and her body broke out in goosebumps from the feel of his warm breath on the bare skin of her neck.

“No!” She squeaked out. She could feel her body trembling, but it had nothing to do with the shower, or the air, but everything to do with this man that was standing so close behind her. He had scooted closer, and she could feel his hard chest against her back, and it took everything in her to not drop her head back against his shoulder and let him do what he wanted with her. Chase’s hand traveled up her bare arm and reached around her, and she nearly jumped when she felt him grasp her chin with his fingers and turn her face to the side to give him better access. She closed her eyes in anticipation, and her knees nearly buckled when she felt his lips at her jaw, his stubble raspy against the delicate skin of her cheek.

“I’ll wait for you out there,” he murmured as he nibbled along the edge of her jaw bone. “Holler if you need anything, okay?” His deep voice, husky against her skin, was melting her, and she desperately gripped at his forearm to steady herself lest she crumple to the floor in a puddle.

“Oh..okay…” she stammered out breathlessly. 

Chase kissed her at her temple and then released her, and without another word, he was gone. Harley grabbed her clothes and quickly got dressed, doing her best to calm down after what just happened. Dear god but she was still so attracted to that man! It had been almost two years since they’d broken up; how in the hell was he still single? _Never mind_ , she told herself, _do not think about that!_ Maybe he wasn't single, and maybe he was just here, and maybe he was just...Oh god! _Stop it, Harley!_ she mentally yelled at herself through the mirror.  She had to stop thinking about all of that or she'd go insane.  She had too much to think about without having to worry about Chase and her feelings around him. Her mother had just passed away, for goodness sake!  She still didn't know how she felt about all that, and the guilt was eating her alive.  Why wasn't she a mess?  Why was she thinking about Chase, when she should be grieving her dead mother?  Absolutely nothing made sense right now.  Giving up trying to figure it all out, she pushed the thoughts aside and tried to resume getting dressed.

When she’d finished with her clothes, she grabbed her earrings, and as she shakily pushed the post through the hole, and seated the clasp, she stared at herself in the mirror.  Her thoughts went right back to Chase, no matter how hard she tried to push them aside.   She’d not dated anyone seriously since Chase, as no one seemed to measure up. They were too tall, too short, not thick enough, too skinny, not funny, etc., etc., etc.  The list went on and on, and she always found a reason to break it off, usually before a second date could even roll around.  

Every guy she went out with was lacking something, but after what had just happened, it was painfully obvious what the problem was: she was still hung up on Chase Landry, both physically and mentally.

She’d moved on - or so she thought - and taken the internship in D.C., and had just graduated with her Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University. It was a pain in the ass, the night classes, but she’d done it, and done it quickly, and she'd immediately thereafter taken on a job at a local non-profit. The goal was to continue to work in the public sector as a community outreach director, just as she’d been doing in D.C.. Working with the under-served populations – the families with issues such as poverty and mental illness – had been her true calling all along. The communications major helped her, but it was not her passion, and everything had been going as smooth as possible up until her mother’s death.  She and her mother had never been particularly close, as she'd always been off, her mental illness making it hard for a true mother-daughter relationship to form.  Harley had always felt like more the parent, rather than the child, and many times she'd had to fend for herself in so many aspects.  Harley had been contemplating moving back to Southeast Texas, possibly even back to the Beaumont area, to be close to her mother and try to salvage some type of relationship, but now what was the point?  She had no real family left here now that her mother was gone.

Other than Chase Landry, that was.  Chase was part of the reason she never wanted to come back.  He confused her, made her doubt her decisions.  He was such a risk, and after going through the hell she went through with him already, it was just safer to stay away, to watch him from a distance.   She'd never tell him that she secretly watched him when the show was on; that was something she'd keep to herself.

She twirled a dark curl around her finger as she stared at her reflection.  She wasn’t as sickly looking today…or at least she didn’t think she was. The dark circles were still there, although less pronounced, and her hazel eyes didn’t seem so listless anymore. Her cheeks had a little color to them, which she could probably attribute that to Chase kissing her, to the feel of his lips against her cheek… She groaned as she closed her eyes and tentatively placed a hand against her cheek where he’d nuzzled her. Yes, the color in her cheeks was most definitely from him, as she could feel herself blushing again just thinking about it.

“Harley?” The knock at the door startled her, along with Angela’s voice on the other side.  Harley quickly opened the door and hesitantly smiled at her sister-in-law. _That was weird to think about, a sister-in-law…_

“Angela!” Harley moved into the other woman’s offered embrace, albeit awkwardly. Harley was amazed at how welcoming Angela was, given the circumstances under which they'd all just met.

“Well you definitely look a lot better, hun!” Angela exclaimed as she released Harley to look her over. “That color in your cheeks have anything to do with Chase?”

“What? No! Of course not!” Harley protested with as much fervor as she could manage. When she glanced at Angela out of the corner of her eye, the older woman was smiling at her.

“Of course not,” Angela shook her head with a chuckle.

“Well, maybe a little,” Harley admitted grumpily as she plopped down on her bed. “It’s a long, complicated story, and not one that I feel like discussing right now.”

“Yeah, I could see the weirdness when Jeromy showed up.”

Harley’s head snapped up, and she looked at Angela with wide eyes.

“What do you mean when Jeromy showed up? Is he here?” Harley grabbed her cell phone, but saw no missed calls or texts from either Chase or Jeromy.

“Yeah, he came over a few minutes ago.” Angela looked at Harley curiously. “I don’t wanna dig in your business, but Chase left immediately. Is there something going on between those two?”

Harley pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. Godamnit!! Would this shit ever end?

“Jeromy was my fiancé. I met Chase while still engaged. Jeromy turned out to be gay, Chase and I got together, but then some stupid stuff happened, and we broke up.” Harley sat down on the edge of the bed, wondering what to do now.  It was a never ending damn nightmare. “Did Chase say anything before he left?”

“He said to tell you he was sorry about your mom, but nothing else before he left.” Angela walked over to sit on the bed next to Harley. “Look, I know we just met like five minutes ago, but do you wanna talk about anything? You’ve got a lot of stuff going on, and I would like to help if I can.”

“I just don’t know what to do.” Harley closed her eyes and fell back on the bed. “I can’t run after Chase right now, but everything in me is telling me to.”

“Jeromy was the one who contacted Chase about your mother, I know that much.” Angela stated quietly. “Chase told us he wanted to go to the funeral, but didn’t feel it would be appropriate.”

“Oh god!” Harley cried.  It just went from bad to worse, didn’t it?

“When he was talking to us I could detect a little…aversion…to Jeromy, if that’s a good word?”

“Jeromy is the reason Chase and I broke up,” Harley admitted.

“I thought he was gay?” Angela asked, clearly confused now.

“He was – he is – but at the time when Chase and I started dating, I still kinda maintained this thing with Jeromy.” Harley held a hand up when Angela started to ask a question. “It was not sexual, but it was just like a close friendship.”

“Why?”

“Why? I still don’t really know why. Jeromy was safer than Chase, in my mind at least. Jeromy was a habit. I talked to him about Chase, about things I know I shouldn’t have, and Chase found out, and it caused a lot of problems.”

“So what’s the deal now?  With you and Jeromy, I mean?” Angela’s brows knitted as she tried to connect all the dots.

“There is nothing there really. Once I moved to D.C., Jeromy and I kinda lost contact. I mean, we’re Facebook friends, but nothing like before.”

“You realized you didn’t really need him, huh?” Angela deduced with a small smile.

“You know, I never thought about that til just now,” Harley snorted as the realization hit her.  She didn’t need Jeromy; she hadn’t needed Jeromy at all.  He was no more than the same crutch he was when they were engaged.  _How had she not seen that when she was with Chase?_

“You loved Chase, didn’t you?” Angela gently asked.

“I sure did,” Harley swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "And I'm pretty sure I still do.”

“Then go to him. Tell him what you’ve told me, and you guys work it out.” Angela leaned over and patted Harley’s thigh gently. “I know things are crazy right now, and you certainly don’t need any more chaos, but having someone like Chase around is what you need.  Especially with your mom passing. He loves you too, I’m certain of it.”

“You think so?” Harley asked hopefully. She wiped at the corners of her eyes with her fingertips. “I’ve treated him like trash since the day I met him, and I can see that now. I’ve taken him for granted since the beginning.”

Angela stood up and offered her hand to Harley and pulled her up. “Well, there’s nothing like losing a loved one to make you realize what’s important in life, right?” Angela placed her hands on Harley’s shoulders and smiled gently. “I’m so sorry about your mom, Harley, and I’m sorry that we are meeting now under these circumstances.”

“Me, too,” Harley choked out. Angela pulled her into her embrace, and the two women hugged for a few moments. When they released each other, both were crying.

“I’ve always wanted a sister, just so you know,” Harley admitted shyly, opening up to Angela finally. _One foot in front of the other, Harley. One foot in front of the other_ …

“Good, cause I’ve always wanted a sister, too!” Angela giggled as she grabbed Harley’s hand. “I’m an only child!”

The two women stood, holding hands for a moment before Angela suggested they go out and talk with Tommy about the insurance stuff.  Harley took a deep breath and followed her sister-in-law out and down the hall.

When she walked into the kitchen, she saw Tommy sitting at the table, deep in conversation with someone on the phone.  As Angela stated, Chase was indeed gone, but Jeromy wasn't around either.  Frowning, but saying nothing about it, she continued to survey the room.  Thomas, Jr, was also at the table, earphones in his ear and his cell phone in hand as he furiously texted someone. The other two kids, Adam and Shelby, were laying on the living room floor in front of the television.  Tommy looked up when he noticed his wife and sister, and held a finger up to indicate he was almost done. 

“Aunt Harley?” Harley looked down to see a beautiful little girl with big blue eyes peering up at her. She had her mother’s coloring, the blonde hair and clear, blue eyes just as striking on Angela, but that set of her jaw was all her daddy. Harley blinked back tears as she stared down at the little girl.

“You must be Shelby, right?” Harley leaned down closer to the little girl.

“Yep. I’m 5 years old, and we live in Florida. Do you still live in Washington, D.C.? Do you know the president? Have you been to the president’s house?”

All the adults giggled at Shelby’s innocent interrogation, and Tommy, finished with his phone call,  stood up and hoisted his daughter up on his hip.

“She likes to ask questions, this one,” Tommy smiled down at his daughter before looking over at Harley. “Why don’t we give your Aunt a break for few minutes, sweetie? She’s really tired.”

“Oh no, Tommy, I’m good,” Harley shushed her brother as she smiled at her niece. The little girl shyly smiled back.

“Well, we need to do this paperwork, Harley,” Tommy explained as he handed his daughter off to his wife. Angela patted Thomas, Jr. on the shoulder, indicating that he needed to follow her and the other kids into the living room so that the adults could talk. When they were gone, Tommy looked over at Harley and nodded down at the chair next to him, and Harley sat down quietly.

“Okay then.” Tommy grabbed a stack of papers and set them down on the table in front of Harley. He spoke as he shuffled them into different piles. “So, apparently Kathy had a sizeable insurance policy.”

“She did?” Harley asked in shock.  She never knew her mother had any kind of policy.

“Yes. She’d been paying on since before our father died. I’m guessing the money she got from dad’s passing she invested in this policy, and she just continued paying on it ever since. It’s worth over $800,000, Harley.” Tommy looked up at Harley with a small smile.

 _“It'_ s _what_?” Harley gasped as she gaped at her brother.

“After the funeral expenses and such, I think it will be right around that amount.”

“I don’t even know…” Harley trailed off as she looked around the room.  She felt sick to her stomach, almost as if another panic attack was trying to come on, and she desperately tried to calm her breathing before it got out of control.  That was a lot of money, and more than she knew what to do with.

“Harley, you’re her only child, so I just want to assure you that I don’t have, nor do I want, any claim to this money, so please don’t worry with that,” Tommy’s voice was gentle as he looked at his sister. “I know firsthand that things can get ugly in these situations, but I want you to know that I don’t have any intentions of that.  Angela and I do well enough on our own.”

Harley blinked at Tommy, more and more rapidly as her eyes filled up with tears. She had to get out of this room.  It was suffocating her, and she had to get out.  She stood up, unable to stay in the room any longer.

“Ex…excuse me,” she stammered as she ran out of the room and back into the bedroom. She collapsed on the bed, her body curled up in the fetal position as she cried. A few seconds later she felt the bed sink behind her as Angela sat down next to her.  

"Harley?"  Angela gently patted her back.  "Can I do anything to help?"

"It's just too much!  It's all too much and I don't know what to do!" Harley cried into her pillow. 

"You need to cry, sweetie.  Just let it all out, and you'll feel better."  Angela continued rubbing Harley's shoulders as she gently encouraged her. 

"I don't have anyone left, Angela."  Harley was whimpering, her voice hitching as she tried to catch her breath. 

"You've got us, sweetie."  Angela stated softly.  "Thomas has talked about you for years, and I've always encouraged him to find you, but he's so ashamed, Harley.  He's always felt bad about the way he left, but he's never stopped wondering about you.  He's your brother, and he loves you."

Harley's tears slowly dried up as she calmed down, leaving her only with the occasional sniffle as she tried to catch her breath. 

"I feel guilty that I don't feel horrible about my mom, Angela."  Harley's words were soft, almost a confession, and they hung heavy in the room. 

"You weren't really close to her, Harley.  From what you've said, and the fact that she was really ill, maybe she is in a better place now." 

"I almost feel relief.  Isn't that horrible?"  Harley rolled over and stared up at Angela, needing some confirmation that she wasn't a horrible person for feeling the way she did.

"No, that's not horrible, Harley."  Angela gave her a gentle smile.  "I see it often.  People come in, their families members are ill, and the day-to-day struggle of trying to keep it all going is just too much.  It's a heavy burden, Harley, and it doesn't mean you don't love your mom.  That you didn't love her.  It just means you're human, and humans get tired.  We all get tired."

Harley swiped her hand across her face and sat up, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"You know, there's nothing to keep me here now."  She rested her chin on her knees as she stared at the wall.  "You guys live in Florida, so me going back to D.C. would only make sense.  I'd be closer to you all, and we could try to stay in contact."

Angela placed a hand on Harley's arm and smiled softly.

"You'll never know until you try, Harley,"  Angela counseled.  "You can go back to D.C., and continue your life, or you can go find Chase and see what happens.  It's completely up to you, but don't let fear hold you back, sweetie.  Look what it did to your brother.  He feared that you would reject him this whole time, and never came back because of it."  Angela shook her head sadly. "How much time was wasted, Harley?"

"I know," Harley whispered.  She did know - all too well.  While she'd been in D.C. working, time had passed, but she wasn't living.  She was existing, and she knew it was because things were never really finished with Chase.  Would she just go back to D.C. and continue on, with the hopes that one day her feelings for Chase would just expire? Or would she live the rest of her life wondering what if, sabotaging any subsequent relationship that came along?  She needed to go to Chase, be honest about her feelings, and let the pieces fall where they may.  For good or bad, she needed some closure, and she needed Chase to know how sorry she was for everything.

"We don't get that time back, Harley.  Once it's gone, it's gone." Angela continued.  "I can't tell you what to do, and only you know best."

"No, you're right," Harley nodded.  "You're right, and I know what I'm gonna do."  She smiled tentatively at Angela, even as her heart began beating fast again in her chest.  It had been a long,  long time since she'd made that drive down to Pierre Part...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	26. Chapter 26

Harley pulled in to the driveway, feeling a wave of déjà vu as she did so. It had been over 2 years since she’d been to the Landry’s, and not much had changed.  The house looked the same, although crepe myrtles had been planted along the drive, and the trees were fuller.  Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Chase’s familiar black truck backed up under that old oak tree. At least he was here. With a deep breath, she grabbed her purse and cell and slid out of her truck.

As she walked up to the front porch, her thoughts turned back to the last time she was here, and a ghost of a smile flitted across her face. It would be nice to see Troy and Bernita again, even if Chase didn’t want to have anything to do with her. She just wanted to explain herself, apologize, and see what happened. He owed her nothing. She timidly knocked on the door and waited. When no one answered, she knocked a little more forcefully. Her heart started pounding in her chest as she heard footsteps coming to the door, and she nearly fainted in relief when she saw it was Troy that opened it.

“Hi,” she grinned up at the Landry patriarch through the screen door.

“Oh my god! Harley! What the hell you doin’ down here, young lady?” Troy’s eyes were wide, but he grinned as he opened the door and stepped out, enveloping Harley in his big arms.

“I was in the neighborhood, so…” Harley giggled as Troy released her, but nervously tucked her hair back behind her ear as he eyeballed her.

“In the neighborhood, huh?” Eyes narrowed on her, Troy scratched his chin for a moment, but then shrugged his shoulders. “Well, however you got here don’t matter to me!” Troy opened the door wider, inviting Harley in.

Harley stepped in, grinning ear to ear as she was once again in the familiar house of the Landry’s. It was still just as warm and inviting as she remembered it, and she could smell something delicious being cooked as the smell wafted through the house. Why did it always feeling like coming home when she was here?

“Babe!” Troy yelled through the house as he closed the door behind them. “Come see, sha!”

Bernita came walking into the living room, wringing a dishrag between her hands, and her face lit up with a smile when she laid eyes on Harley.

“Well, I’ll be!” She walked up and took Harley’s cheeks in her hand and kissed her on both sides. “How are you, sweetie? We sure have missed you ‘round here.”

“I’m good, Miss Bernita. I’ve missed y’all, too,” Harley blinked back happy tears. What she would give to have had a set of parents like Troy and Bernita Landry…

“Come on in the kitchen, Harley.” Bernita motioned in that direction, and Harley followed her, with Troy bringing up the rear. Once there, Harley took a seat at the kitchen table, as did Troy, and Bernita went back to the stove.

“Well something sure smells good!” Harley sniffed the air appreciatively, drawing a chuckle from Troy.

“Alligator sauce picquant!” Troy leaned back and rubbed his sizable belly, earning a grin from Harley. “Betcha been missin’ good food over on the east coast, yeah?”

“D.C. is nice, but nothing compares to the Landry food,” Harley agreed with another giggle, but questions were running through her mind.  How did they know she was in D.C.? Obviously it was Chase that told them, but what else had he told them? What did they think about her?

“Chase told us about your mother, Harley,” Bernita tenderly smiled as she brought a glass of ice tea and set it before Harley. “How you doin’, sweetie?”

Her smile fading at both the question and her panicky thoughts, Harley took a sip of the tea to push down the lump in her throat. It was still hard to believe that her mother was gone. It had been almost a week now, as she’d had many loose ends to tie up before she could get away and come down here, but as soon as she thought about it, it only seemed like yesterday.  She knew she hadn't dealt with it yet, and quite frankly she didn't know how to even begin dealing with it.  

“It’s hard, but I’m managing. She and I weren’t incredibly close, as she was very sick, but she was my mother and I loved her.” Harley’s lips screwed up in an attempt to keep her chin from trembling, but it was no use. She wiped her eyes where the tears started forming. “I’m sorry! I just have these moments where it hits me, and…you know...Both my parents are gone, and...I just...” Harley shook her head in embarrassment, unable to continue.  She bowed her head, shielding her face from Troy and Bernita.   Bernita walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her and kissed her on her temple.

“It’s okay, sweetie! She was your mother, you’re allowed to grieve.”

“Yeah, Harley, I’m really sorry to hear about that,” Troy chimed in from the other side of the table, his voice gruff. “If you need anything, you let us know, you hear?”

Bernita released her, but kept a hand at Harley’s back, her fingers rubbing her shoulder soothingly.

“I’m good, it’ll just take time, I guess,” Harley tried to smile a bit.  She looked around the room, noticing small changes here and there, but everything was the same for the most part. Only missing one person…

“Chase is out on the water,” Troy answered her unspoken question. “Want me to call him back for you?”

“Oh no, don’t bother him,” Harley shook her head and gripped her tea glass a little tighter. “I’m not sure he wants to talk to me.” She bit her lower lip as she tried to ignore that niggling doubt that had followed her all the way here. What if he hated her, and really wanted nothing to do with her? He had to be completely through with her by now, certainly after all they’d been through because of her.

“I think he will,” Bernita replied, her voice gentle as she walked back over to the stove and stirred the contents in the pot as it simmered. “You know, he’s not dated anyone since you two broke up.”

“What?” Harley’s head jerked up, her eyes wide in disbelief as her cheeks heated in embarrassment. This conversation about her and Chase was just too weird to be having around a dinner table, but at the same time – who the hell else could she talk to? She couldn’t deny the fact that her heart fluttered a bit when she heard he hadn’t dated anyone since her. That had to mean something, right?

“He’s been working his ass to the bone, hardly ever home anymore,” Troy grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Between here and L.A. and Florida, he’s always off doing something.”

Harley’s mood dampened just a bit when she heard that he’d been in L.A., but she had to remind herself that she’d been no innocent angel while they were broken up. They were broken up, and she couldn’t fault him for whatever he’d done while they weren’t together. It was her own damn fault, besides. 

Troy’s head jerked up, cocked to the side as if he was hearing something no one else did.

“That’s him now.” Troy stood, pushing his chair under the table. He looked over at Harley. “Wanna come outside with me, or what you wanna do?”

“I don’t know…I mean what should I do?” She suddenly felt very nervous, and her hands were shaking in her lap.

“Why don’t you let Harley go out and talk with him, Troy?” Bernita suggested from her spot at the stove.

“You wanna do that?” Troy looked down at Harley.

“Uhm…” Harley waffled, unsure of what to do.

“Yes. She does, so sit down Troy Landry.” Bernita all but ordered her husband to be seated as she walked over to Harley , and jerked her head at the door. “Go on, sweetie.”

“Uhm…okay,” Harley stammered out.  God!  She stood up, acutely aware that her palms were sweaty and her stomach was turning with anxiety. What if he cursed her out? Told her to leave? How the hell was she going to walk out of here like that?  As if sensing her uneasiness, Bernita walked over, a small jug of tea in her hand,  and handed it to her.

“Now you have a reason.” She winked up at Harley as she gently ushered her to the door.

Taking a deep breath, Harley stepped out the back door and onto the porch. Off in the distance, she could see Chase at the dock, tying off the boat.  She quietly and cautiously walked down the steps and headed towards him, rehearsing what she would say in her head, and praying to God he didn’t tell her to fuck off.


	27. Chapter 27

She stopped a few feet before the dock.  Chase was bent over, untangling some rope or something, and had yet to notice her.  She could see his tee-shirt was ripped across the back, and she frowned, wondering how that had happened.   As he lifted the tangled mess of cut lines and tossed them over the side, he looked up and finally saw her. He stood up straight, a strip of rope still in his hands, and stared at her.

“Hi, Chase.” Her voice was high-pitched with anxiety.

“Harley,” he nodded back.

“I brought you some tea.” She held up the jug almost as if it were a peace offering, and to her surprise, Chase hopped over the side of the boat and headed towards her. Once he was standing in front of her, he took the jug from her and took a long drink, his wary eyes never leaving hers.  When he was satisfied, he lowered it and replaced the cap.

“What you doin’ here, Harley?” He was blunt, and his flat tone worried Harley. He really didn’t seem to want to see her at all.  She swallowed hard, and summoned all her courage as she replied.

“I came to see you.”

Chase snorted, his jaw flexing as he looked off into the distance, and Harley could see the anger bubbling up.

“For what this time?” He turned back to her, his brown eyes hard. “You know, I feel like some idiot at your beck and call, and I’m pretty sick and tired of this shit, Harley.”

“I didn’t know Jeromy was coming over, Chase,” Harley explained gently. “I didn’t even know he contacted you until Angela told me so.”

“Oh really? Y’all are best friends, remember?” Chase derisively replied as he leaned down and scooped up a pile of rope and started untangling it.  

“No, Chase. We’re not. I’ve not really been in contact with him since I moved two years ago.”

Chase turned to look at her now, his eyes seeming to soften just a tad as he searched for the truth in her words. She could see he was still cautious though, and that hurt her heart to see he had such ambivalence towards her, even though she knew it was completely justified. 

“I was wrong, Chase. I thought I needed Jeromy, but I didn’t.  He was a crutch, and I was too scared to let go, but since going to D.C., I’ve totally been on my own.  I had to learn to let go, to trust my instincts and be alone.” Harley stared up at him, needing him to believe her. “You don’t have to believe me, and I don’t expect you to, but I just wanted to come and apologize to you for all of it. I took you for granted, and the only reason I can give is that I was too afraid to be all in, just like you said.”

Chase’s jaw flexed as he fiddled with the rope in his hands, and Harley waited nervously, wondering how he was going to react after hearing all this for so long.

“It’s a lot to take in, you know?” He looked up at her, and Harley was relieved to see that he didn't seem so on-guard anymore. Maybe, just maybe, she’d gotten through to him in some small way.

“I know it is, Chase.” Harley smiled tentatively. “With my mom passing, I just feel like I need to not waste any time anymore.  If nothing else, I wanted you to know that I get it now. I really do. I get it, and I’m sorry for all of it.”

Chase tossed the rope to the ground and stepped forward, his hand reaching out for Harley’s.  She placed her small hand in his much larger one, and the next thing she knew he had pulled her in for a hug. He was sweaty, and he was dirty from the swamp, but she didn’t care. She hugged him for all she was worth, wrapping her arms around his neck as she held him tight.

“I stink, don’t I?” He chuckled against her hair.

“A little, but I don’t care right now,” Harley giggled as she hugged him tighter.  Her fingers passed over the rip in his tee-shirt, and, concerned, she leaned back to look up at him.  "What happened to your back, Chase?"  She tried to look around him, but he held her firm in his arms.

"Just a scratch, baby."  He kissed her on her forehead and released her, but held on to her hand as he interlaced his fingers with hers.  When he smiled down at her, Harley forgot all about the scratch.  She damn near forgot about breathing, that's how much of an effect he had on her still. 

“You saw Mama and Daddy, then?” He asked her, and Harley looked back up at the house with a wistful smile.

“I did. Still cute as ever.”

Chase snorted and headed back over to the boat, Harley in tow. “Dad’s a pain in my ass right now. He got himself a hernia, so I’m having to run the boat and fill tags by myself.” Chase released her hand and hopped back in the boat to finish unloading.

“Oh wow. Where’s your brothers?” Harley wrapped her arms around herself as she watched Chase work.

“Jacob just had a new baby, so he’s out for the moment. Brandon is tied up with his real job.” Chase tossed the bait bucket over the side, causing Harley to hop out of the way just in time to not get splashed by the contents.  Realizing what he’d done, Chase smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to do that. I’m just tired and aggravated as all hell right now.”

“No, Chase, it’s okay,” Harley reassured him. “Look, if you want me to leave and come back, or leave and don’t come back, I can do that. I know this was unexpected, me showing up, and I don’t wanna cause you any more problems, okay?”

Chase stood up and shook his head at her.

“No, I need you to stay.” He hopped back off the boat again and walked over to her and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best part of my day.”

Harley flushed under his compliments, and she couldn’t stop smiling up at him.  He winked at her and headed back to the boat to finish.

“Well, can I help you at least? Unload or whatever?” Harley asked hopefully as she looked around for something to do. Chase cockily grinned at her over his shoulder.

“You couldn’t pick up a 10 gallon gas can last time you was here,” he teased playfully, causing Harley to narrow her eyes on him.

“Smart ass,” she muttered, causing Chase to laugh loudly.

“I’m kiddin’, sweetie!” Chase apologized as he stepped out of the boat again. “Just stand there and be beautiful. I’m done anyway.” He tied the boat off and wiped his hands on his jeans as he headed back over to Harley.

“So what now?” Chase asked as he reached down and tucked a ringlet back behind her ear.

“I don’t know. I didn’t plan that far I guess,” Harley glanced up at him bashfully. She felt her breath hitch as she stood so close to him after such a long time. He had smudges of dirt on his cheeks, and he was sweaty, and smelled like the swamp and fish guts, but dear lord if she didn’t want to jump in his arms right now!

“So let’s not go with a plan, then,” Chase replied. “Let me go shower, and let’s eat, and see what happens from there. I’m sure Mama and Daddy wanna talk to you some more anyways.”

“Okay,” Harley agreed with a smile. Chase reached down and grabbed her hand, and together they headed back to the house.


	28. Chapter 28

“This is so good, Bernita!” Harley moaned in delight as she took another bite. It had just the right amount of tangy sauce, the rice was perfectly cooked, and the gator, well, it was just delicious! God how she had missed this food while she’d been down in D.C.!

“Sure was!” Troy rubbed his belly with a laugh, and beside him Bernita gave him a wry glance.

“You need to go on a diet, Troy Landry! That hernia’s never gonna get better if you keep eating that way and drinking all that beer!” Bernita scolded her husband as Harley tried to hide her grin.

“You see what I gotta put up with, Harley?” Troy whined in a pained whisper, and this time Harley couldn’t contain her giggles.  Bernita rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“What’s happening, y’all?” Chase opened the screen and stepped outside, freshly showered with a bowl of food in his hand. 

He smiled when his eyes landed on Harley, and he made a bee-line over to where she was sitting in a chair, and hopped up next to her on the rail. Harley smiled up at him, but did her best to not let on how bothered she was by the sight of him shirtless and smelling so damn good.  She shoved another bite of food in her mouth, praying that her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt!

“Well, son, how was it out there today?” Troy asked his son.

“Shitty. All the lines was either covered in ants, or not touched. Only pulled in two, and they wasn’t very big,” Chase replied as he shoved a bite of food in his mouth.

Harley watched him from under her lashes, fascinated even by the way he chewed his damn food. He was so damn handsome, and she could kick herself for ever letting him go over such stupid shit. He looked up, caught Harley staring at him, and winked, causing her to blush even harder. She quickly turned her attention back to her food.

“What you think was wrong?” Troy continued. “Bait was bad, or what?”

“I don’t know. I rehung all the lines, fresh bait and all, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow.” Chase sighed as he took another bite of food.

It was obvious he was exhausted from doing all this by himself.  He turned to toss something out into the grass, and all caught sight of the huge scratch down his back.  It looked raw and angry, and Bernita immediately jumped to her feet to examine her son.  Chase sighed dramatically, but sat still while his mother hovered over him.

"What happened to your back, Chase Michael?" Bernita looked Chase over with a mother's eye, lightly touching the skin around the scratch. 

“Damn tree got me good,” Chase mumbled as he reached around and tried to touch the scratch. He turned back, facing his back to his mother. “Is it bad?”

“It’s not that bad, I don’t think. It feels a little warm, so I’m gonna go get you some salve, though.” Bernita quickly walked in the house and appeared a few moments later, a small bottle of ointment in her hands. Chase grinned over at Harley, shaking his head while his mother tended to his back.  Harley smiled back, relieved that the scratch was being taken care of at least.  When Bernita was done, she kissed her son on his cheek and sat back down next to Troy on the swing.

“You need help, Chase Michael,” Bernita admonished him gently, but scowled over at Troy. “Isn’t there anyone that can go out with him, Troy?”

“We can call your Uncle Guy, see what he says,” Troy replied as he scratched his head. “Or Holdy.”

Chase snorted in disagreement, knowing he and Holden would never be able to work together like that. They screwed around too much to do any real work.

“We can call Junior,” Troy chuckled as he took a sip of beer.

“And get shot in the face? No thanks, Daddy,” Chase retorted. “I’ll manage tomorrow. Just gotta get up early and get on it.” He scooped out the last of his food and set it on the rail. Bernita stood, motioning for Chase to hand her his empty bowl.

“I’m gonna go clean up,” she stated as she collected up dishes. Harley stood, and wiped her hands on her jeans self-consciously.

“I can help clean up, Bernita,” she offered quietly, but was quickly shushed by the older woman.

“Nonsense, Harley. Sit down, relax. Troy is coming to help me clean up.” Bernita turned to stare at her husband pointedly, and Troy stared back.

“I am?” Troy asked, slow to catch on to Bernita’s hint. Chase snorted as he tried to hold in his laughter at his parents. 

“Yes, you are,” Bernita shoved the bowls at him as he stood. “Now come on.” Troy reluctantly followed his wife into the house, leaving Chase grinning after them. When the door closed, he turned to look down at Harley.

“She’s smooth, ain’t she?” Chase laughed.

“Yeah, it was pretty obvious,” Harley giggled as she nervously tucked another wayward curl back behind her ear.

“Come ‘ere, Harley, “ Chase ordered quietly from atop the rail.

Harley stood, and slowly moved towards him, and Chase opened his legs, and pulled her in between them. Her heart pounding like crazy against her ribs, Harley stared at his bare chest, her eyes focused on the tattoos there.  Chase tilted her chin up with one finger, forcing her to look at him. His deep, chocolatey eyes were intense, heavy under his thick lashes, and Harley felt her breath hitch as he stared at her.

“I missed you,” he admitted quietly.

He rubbed his thumb along her jaw, causing Harley to shiver as she nibbled on her lower lip. When his other hand came up to cup her other cheek, Harley closed her eyes in anticipation of what was to come. Chase kissed her softly, his lips warm and gentle against hers, and she had to grip his thighs to keep from buckling at the knees. Still holding her cheeks in his hands, Chase slid off the railing, forcing their bodies close together as he continued the kiss. Now, Harley grasped at the waist of his jeans, anything to keep from falling as Chase continued his tortuous onslaught on her mouth. God! The feeling of him pressed against her, the warmth of his skin, his smell-

“Hey! Y’all need to get a room!” Troy playfully bellowed from the screen door, causing Harley to jump in Chase's arms, and he chuckled as Harley buried her face against his chest in embarrassment.

“Yes sir!” Chase called back to his daddy. Troy moved away from the door, but they could hear him laughing inside, and Harley giggled a little against Chase.

“I’m so embarrassed!”

“We can go up to my room, or we can leave and go elsewhere,” Chase replied as he held her to his chest. “What do you wanna do, sweetie?”

“I don’t care, as long as it’s with you.” Harley wrapped her arms around him, her fingers holding tight to the strong muscles of his back, careful not to touch the scratch.

“Well, I gotta get up early tomorrow, before 5, so I should probably go up to bed.” Chase leaned back and stared down at her. “Are you staying with me tonight?”

“I’d like to.” Harley felt herself blush again under his gaze.

“You got bags in your car that I need to get out?” Chase asked.  

“I did bring a bag just in case.”  Harley mumbled, blushing even more profusely at her assumption that she would end up staying with him. 

“Okay, let’s go get that, and head upstairs.” Chase slid his hand down her arm and grabbed her hand with his, and together they walked out to her truck. Chase whistled when he saw what she was driving. “Well that’s an improvement, for sure!”

Harley grinned, her eyes appraising her truck again. The black Ford Raptor was one of the first things she had bought when she started getting steady income in D.C., and she loved it dearly. No more cars for her!

“When’d you get this?” Chase asked as he opened the driver door and peeked inside, looking around appreciatively. 

“About a year ago,” Harley replied as she opened the passenger door and pulled her bag out.

“Damn, baby.” Chase stood back, arms crossed over his chest as he appreciatively stared at the truck again and then back at Harely. “You in a big ass truck is fuckin’ sexy as hell.”

“God, Chase!” Harley shook her head and closed the door as Chase walked over and took the bag from her hand with a smug smile.

“It’s true!” He laughed as she blushed even harder. Harley locked the truck and stared up at Chase with another shake of her head. Chase just grinned at her even harder, but softened quickly when he saw how embarrassed Harley had become. 

“Okay, baby, I’ll quit.” Chase held out his hand for her. “Let’s go inside. It’s about to piss all over us anyway.” He looked up at the quickly darkening sky with a grimace. Late evening rain showers were a common thing in Louisiana, but during gator season it was a pain in the ass.  He'd have his work cut out for him tomorrow, that was for sure.


	29. Chapter 29

An hour later, Harley had just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed in the guest room. Chase was over in his room, and she was supposed to meet him when she was done. True to form, it was raining outside, the slow rolls of thunder rolling through and shaking the house in the late evening. Harley had taken longer than she’d anticipated in the shower, having spent the majority of time making sure her legs were meticulously shaved. While she didn’t come here expecting to jump right back into Chase’s bed, she wanted to be prepared for whatever might come. She felt incredibly awkward with Troy and Bernita on the other side of the house in their room, but what was the alternative? A soft knock on the door drew her eyes up, and her heart immediately started beating faster. She walked over and opened it, and Chase was there, a smile on his face.

“Are you done?” he asked hopefully.  Harley opened the door a bit wider, motioning for him to come in.

“I’m almost done.” She rubbed her hands together, trying to rub in the extra lotion from when she’d been moisturizing her legs. She headed back over to the bed and turned to sit down, but Chase was right behind her, and he pushed her down and crawled on top of her.  He pushed her legs apart and settled in between, drawing a soft groan from Harley. 

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t wait any longer.” His voice was husky as he kissed along her jaw. Harley bit her lips to keep her moans quiet, but damn it was hard!

“Chase…your parents…” Harley whimpered from under him, even as she clutched at his hair and squirmed against him. “What if they hear us?”

“You’ll just have to be quiet then, won’t you?” He pulled her up with him into the center of the bed as he kissed along the column of her neck.

“Did you lock the door?” Harley panted as he traveled down her body, his lips and hands exploring her as if it were for the first time.  He looked up at her impatiently, but she shook her head and pushed at his shoulders. “Please go lock the door?”

With an petulant sigh, Chase crawled off the bed and went over and locked the door. On the way back, he pulled off the tank top he’d been wearing, revealing that beautifully tanned skin that she’d longed to touch for so long. When he crawled back on the bed, Harley held him back with a hand on his sternum.

“When did you get these?” She traced the lines of the new tattoos with her fingernail.

“About a year ago,” Chase replied as he rolled over on his back and pulled Harley to him.  She continued her exploration of his chest, following the lines of the intricate tattoos. The one in the center was completely different, and there were two different ones on his hands - a rose on the back of one hand, and a lion on the other. On his forearm was a tattoo of a military man, and that was also new to Harley. He was almost completely covered with tattoos!

“That’s my grandfather,” Chase explained. “The rose is for the women in my life, and the lion, well just because it’s fuckin’ cool.”

“The women in your life?” Harley asked carefully, but immediately regretted the words as they slipped past her lips. She couldn’t disagree that the thought of him getting these tattoos in L.A. irked the shit out of her even now, but now was not the time for that conversation. Not when things were going relatively well between them again.

“Yes, the women in my life. My mom, my sister-in-laws, my nieces, grandma,” Chase replied softly. “You…”

Harley looked up at him. “Me?” She asked doubtfully.  They were broken up when he got these tattoos, so how could she have had anything to do with that?

“Just because we weren't together doesn’t mean I stopped thinking about you, Harley.” Chase reached up and pushed her hair back off her cheek and gently tucked it behind her ear. Feeling her emotions threatening to overtake her, Harley lay her head down on his chest and listened to his heart beating strongly against her ear as she sucked in a shaky breath.

“How do we move forward, Chase?” Harley whispered. “So much has changed.”

“Did you ever think about me when you were gone?” Chase asked quietly. His hand was at her shoulder, his fingers lightly rubbing the skin there.

“Every day,” Harley admitted sadly. “Chase, I dated other people during that time. I just need to be honest with you.”

Chase stiffened and took a deep breath under her, and Harley chewed on her nail as she waited for his reaction.

“Did you love any of them?” His voice was calm, but Harley could hear the tension underlying his words.  Without saying much, they were both saying a lot, and both were keenly aware of that fact.

“No.” That she was absolutely sure of. Not a one of them could measure up to Chase.

“And Jeromy?” Chase’s voice had taken on a slight edge, and Harley knew they were finally getting to the meat of things, whether they wanted to or not.

“He and I are what I would call acquaintances now. I barely speak to him.” Harley leaned up and propped her chin on Chase’s chest as she stared at him through blurry eyes. “I know I was wrong, Chase. I know it was wrong what I did. I was just so scared, and I didn’t take anything serious, and I know that now.”

“You scared now?” Chase trailed a finger down her cheek, using his fingertip to wipe away a tear as it slipped out and rolled down her jaw. Harley nodded in agreement, unable to speak as her lips twisted in agony and regret.

“What if we just take it slow, and we don’t worry about the what-ifs?” Chase offered gently. He rolled them over so that Harley was underneath him and kissed her on the tip of her nose. “What if we just start over, and forget all of that, and move on? Because all that matters is that you’re here, and that we’re here together. I don’t care about any of that other stuff, Harley.”

Harley nodded up at him, still unable to speak. Her tears were choking her, her breath hitching as she tried to fight back the sobs. Too much had happened in such a small amount of time, and she just couldn’t deal with it. She reached up and covered her eyes with her hands as the sobs started. She just couldn’t hold it back any longer, and Chase’s forgiveness of her opened the floodgates. He buried his face at her neck as she cried, holding her tightly to him as she wept and wept. He whispered soft words of encouragement into her ear, telling her how much he cared for her, and how he would be there for her. When Harley’s sobs subsided, calming down into smaller and smaller sniffles, Chase leaned up and looked down at her.

“Better?” He smiled at her tenderly.

“A little,” Harley hiccupped out. “I’m sorry, Chase.” She wiped at her face, grimacing when she saw mascara come off on her fingers. She must look a mess, but she sure felt better after getting all that out.

“For what?” He reached down and ran his thumb along the underside of her eye, wiping off mascara for her.

“For crying and all this...this craziness…”

“Well I’m not, baby.” Chase rolled off her and pulled her onto his chest again. “I’d rather you were here with me than anywhere else. Even if you are cryin’.” Harley giggled against his chest as she chewed on her fingernail.

“You know what we should do, though?” Chase ran his fingers along her spine, drawing shivers as he did so.

“What?”

“We should have make-up sex.” Chase stated matter-of-factly.

“Are we fighting?” Harley teased playfully, and she tried not to laugh when Chase grunted underneath her in annoyance.

“Well, no, but…” Chase shifted, and from her view on his chest, Harley could see he was already getting hard, the bulge evident in his basketball shorts. Harley slid her hand down his waist slowly, grinning as he flinched at her movements. When she rested her fingers on his crotch, she could feel just how hard he was.

“I think we should just make love since we’re not fighting,” Harley whispered against his chest as her fingers gently stroked his hard length. Chase rolled them over, pinning Harley underneath him as he grabbed and held her hands out next to either side of her head.

“You teasin’ me, woman?” Chase arched an eyebrow at her.

“Who, me?” Harley answered coyly, as she wrapped one leg up around his hip and pulled him to her.

She closed her eyes and slowly ground herself against him, whimpering just a bit as she felt him press against that aching spot between her legs. Chase released her hand and sat up on his heels. Harley opened her eyes when she felt him pulling her tank top up her stomach and pushing it up and over her breasts. He reached around her, and quickly undid her bra, and with Harley’s help, pulled the tank and bra off, leaving her bare before him. He shook his head as he stared down at her.

“Still just as fuckin’ sexy as I remember.” He leaned down and took one breast in his hand, squeezing her so that her already taut nipple was thrust forward even more as his mouth descended on her.

“Oh god!” Harley yelped as she arched up off the bed against him. With a grin, Chase looked up at her and shook his head.

“Better put a pillow over your mouth, baby,” he warned her, and Harley immediately flushed and clapped a hand over her mouth.

_Troy and Bernita!_

She barely had time to think, as Chase resumed sucking on her aching nipple, laving it with his tongue as his hand palmed and kneaded the other breast. Harley bit at her lip, desperately trying to keep quiet, but it was so hard with Chase! She squirmed against him, grasping at his hair, and his biceps, and his back, anything to get him closer to her. He licked along the underside of her breast, his tongue rough as it traveled back up and took her nipple again, and when he gently bit her, she nearly exploded. She clawed at his head, raking her nails against his scalp as she held him to her.

“Chase! Please!” She was whining, begging, pleading with him to make love to her, anything to stop this ache that was burning her up from the inside out.

Chase kissed along her sternum and moved to the other breast, lavishing it with the same attention as he licked and suckled her nipple into a hard, almost painful peak. Harley was panting against him, wanton with need as he thighs gripped him. She desperately pushed at his shorts with her feet, doing anything she could to rid him of the offensive material and get him closer to her, but Chase continued at her breast, ignoring her pleas for release.

“Slow down, baby,” he growled as he slid his hand down her bare stomach and to the top of her shorts.

He slipped below the waist, past her panties, and his fingers quickly found her core, wet and warm. He spread two fingers around her sensitive nub and began rubbing slowly, agonizingly slow, and Harley thought she was going to lose her mind if he didn’t hurry up! She reached down and grabbed at his hand, trying to force him to touch her where she wanted him, but Chase pushed her hand away easily. He brought his hand back down between her legs, but this time he came from the bottom of her shorts, sliding his hand up and pushing her panties aside as he found her wetness again. He groaned as the wetness coated his fingers yet again.

“I need to taste you,” he murmured huskily as he sat back up. He quickly stripped her of her shorts and panties, and sank down between her legs, burying his face as his mouth began working on her. He licked her clean, from top to bottom, long, slow swipes that had her nearly in tears of frustration. Harley scratched her nails through his hair as she dug her heels into his shoulders, her toes curling against his skin, and it was all she could do to not cry out and beg for him to give her the release she so desperately needed.

“Please, Chase,” she whimpered as she rolled her hips against him.

She could feel his beard, chafing her in her most sensitive areas, but it was a welcome pain. His tongue was broad and rough, working her clit in small, delicious flicks that had her on the very edge of her orgasm. He dragged his hand down her thigh, trailing it over her skin before pressing two fingers inside her, scissoring them to stretch her. All the while his tongue kept flicking at her clit, over and over again. He began to thrust his fingers in and out, setting up a rhythm that Harley desperately tried to match. She rolled her hips into his thrusting fingers, time and time again, but when Chase flicked her clit one final time, and crooked his fingers inside her, she lost it, exploding around him in a flood as her orgasm ripped through her. She gripped the pillow to her face, trying to muffle her screams as she gushed, but Chase kept pumping his fingers in her, over and over again, tapping that spot that destroyed her. Harley rolled, trying to get away from him as it became too much, but Chase held her to him as he pulled his fingers out and ran his tongue up and down her once more.

“Cha..Cha…Chase…stop!” Harley sputtered as she pushed at his head in an effort to get away from him. How was it possible that something felt too good??  Her legs were trembling against him as he slowly climbed back up her body and rested himself between her legs, and she was still panting, still shuddering,  when he kissed her, his lips nipping at the corners of her mouth. Harley flung one arm over her eyes as she tried to slow her heart rate down, but holy shit if she didn’t feel like she’d just passed out and was only now finally coming to!

“You alright?” Chase grinned against her jaw as he thrust his lower body against her slowly.

“You killed me,” Harley whispered weakly.

“I sure hope not, ‘cause I’m about to do it again.” Chase kissed her softly on the chin and then crawled off her.

A moment later, Harley felt him back between her legs, but this time he was naked, and she could feel his hard cock as it pressed against her thigh. She didn’t know if she could take anymore, but she certainly didn’t protest when he pulled her to him.  

Besides, she was too weak, her limbs too loose, to do anything else.  He was kneeling, and he gripped her thighs and spread her legs as he pulled her against him, and she groaned when she felt him slide in, his thick cock filling her as he gripped her hips tightly. She wrapped her legs around his lower back, locking them at the ankles and let Chase have his way with her.  Even as weak and sated as she was from before, she could feel her body coming alive as Chase slowly moved inside her. He ran his hands over her hipbones and up her stomach, sliding them slowly across her breasts as he massaged and kneaded them, his fingers pulling her already taut nipples into even harder peaks as he moved against her.  Harley began to squirm restlessly, wanting to be closer to Chase, and she pulled at his forearms to get him to come down to her.

“What do you want, baby?” Chase murmured as he pushed her forward so that he could come off his knees and lay between her legs. He reached down and grabbed her behind her knee and pulled her leg up over his flank and slowly began thrusting in and out.

“I want you, Chase,” Harley moaned softly as she pulled him to her. His hard chest flattened her aching breasts as he moved against her, and Harley felt herself spiraling again as Chase pulled her along with him. The slow thrusting, in and out, in and out, was winding her up tighter and tighter. Chase flattened his arms out to the sides and rested on his forearms as he stared down at Harley.

“Look at me, Harley,” he grunted as he thrust in again. Harley’s eyes fluttered open, and she stared up at him. Chase thrust again, harder this time, and Harley gasped, her eyes involuntarily closing at the pleasure and feeling of so deep inside.

“Open your eyes, baby,” Chase gritted out again. He brought his hands around and his fingers rested against her cheeks as he stared down at her. When Harley opened her eyes again, she saw Chase smiling down at her tenderly.

“I love you, Harley.” He slowly thrust again, harder, causing Harley to bow up off the bed against him.

Chase pulled her back down, his fingers behind her head and tangled in her hair as he pressed his forehead against hers. They were nose to nose, and lips to lips, as Chase started thrusting again. His eyes never left hers, and Harley felt the insane urge to cry, so overcome with sensation and emotion at being with him. The way he was looking at her, the way he was holding her, the way it felt to be in his arms...it was all just too much.

“I love you, baby.” He repeated it again as he began thrusting faster and faster, his grip on the hair at the back of her head getting tighter and tighter. Harley felt herself coming undone, could feel the sensation as it traveled through her body, and she could no longer keep her eyes open, so intense were the feelings coursing through her body. Chase thrust harder and deeper, slamming into her over and over, as he fought for his release, and the sounds of their flesh meeting filled the room.

“Come… for… me…babe,” he feverishly grunted against her lips, and Harley, no longer able to hold on, let go. 

Just in time, Chase captured her lips, swallowing the scream of his name that almost escaped her lips. He slammed into her one more time and stilled, his body jerking as he spilled himself inside her. Harley wrapped her arms around him, holding him to her as his body trembled against her until he finally relaxed.  Chase had his face buried against her neck, and with a small smile, Harley kissed him on his sweaty temple.

“I love you, too, Chase.” She clenched her eyes shut to hold back the tears that were present yet again, but she couldn’t fight them all, and a few escaped and rolled down her face. Chase leaned up and smiled down at her, but it quickly faded when he saw the tears.

“Why are you cryin’?” He looked her over in concern. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” Harley shook her head vehemently. “Of course not.” She hugged him again, just as tight as she could, but Chase pulled back again to stare down at her.

“Why are you cryin’, Harley?” Chase demanded, a little more forcefully this time.

“I love you, Chase. I didn’t know how much til now.” Harley gave him a wobbly smile, eyes full of tears. Chase visibly relaxed, and smiled down at her before kissing her softly on the lips.

“I was wonderin’ how long it was gonna take for you to figure that out,” Chase chuckled, that cocky smirk in place that drove Harley wild.  She arched an eyebrow at him.

“You’re very sure of yourself aren’t you, Chase Landry?”

Chase slowly pulled out of her and rolled over on to his back, and both lay there for a few moments, not speaking.

“Actually, no, I’m not sure of myself at all where you’re concerned.” Chase admitted softly, his tone causing Harley to look over at him.  Chase Landry was nothing if not confident.

“Chase?” Harley rolled over onto her side to stare at him.

“You drive me nuts, Harley. You make me mad, and you make me happy, and everything in between.” He strummed his fingers along his bare chest as he stared up at the ceiling. “And you leave me, and now you’re back, and I nearly lost my mind.” He turned his head to look over at her, giving Harley a glimpse of the hell he’d gone through because of her.

“I can’t go through all that again, Harley.” He reached down and grasped her hand and pulled it to his chest, clutching it tightly.

“I won’t half-ass it like last time, babe. These two years without you were hell, and I can’t do that again. Please tell me we’re gonna make it work this time?” He brought her hand up and kissed the back of it tenderly, and Harley felt her eyes moisten again.

For the very first time in her whole life, she knew exactly what she wanted, and for the first time it wanted her back. Chase wanted her, just as much as she wanted him. She scooted over to him and pushed him onto his back and crawled on his chest to stare down at him. With her palms flat against his chest, and heart to heart, she began to speak.

“I was selfish, Chase, and blind, but now I know what I want. I know what I want – what I’ve always wanted –and it’s you. Ever since that day on the bridge, it’s always been you.” She looked up and around the room.

“It’s the bayous, it’s the simple way of life, Chase.  I’m home here. I’ve found what I want to do with my life, and I wanna do it here. I want to be with you, Chase. I want to do all those things with you, if you’ll have me.” She fiddled with the hair on his chest as she waited for his response. A quick glance up showed that he was grinning, and Harley started grinning in response.

“Does that mean you’re gonna be my girlfriend again?” Chase’s eyebrow rose as he slid his hands down her bare back and cupped her ass. He pulled her to him, and Harley bit at her lip when she felt him hard already and pressed against her thigh.

“Yep, and you’re my boyfriend.” She poked his chest playfully.

“I’m getting your name tatted,” Chase looked down at where she was poking around the area of his heart. 

“Maybe we should wait on that? Isn’t that bad luck?” Harley asked carefully. She’d always heard it was bad luck to tattoo the one you love on your body.  Chase snorted as he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer so that he could kiss her.

“Not for us, cause we ain’t ever breakin' up again.” Chase nipped along her lower lip, grinning as she wriggled against him. “We need to go to my room. Bed’s bigger and more comfortable than this one.”

“Chase!” Harley hissed in horror. “Your parents are gonna know we were up to something if they hear us sneaking around!”

“Harley…babe…you think they don’t know what we’re doing?” Chase cocked an eyebrow at her, a smug smile on his face. 

He sat up, taking her with him as he scooted off the edge of the bed and stood, and Harley clutched at his back as he gripped her underneath her thighs to hold her against him.  When he headed to the door, Harley started panicking. Was he going to take them down to his room??

“Chase! We can’t walk down the hall naked!” She tried to climb out of his arms, but Chase wouldn’t let her. He was laughing when he slowly opened the door and peeked outside.

“Coast is clear, babe.” Still carrying her, Harley wrapped her legs around his waist and buried her face in his neck as he walked them down the hall and into his bedroom, bare ass on full display.  Only when the door was finally shut and locked, did Harley relax a bit. She leaned back and glared at Chase as he carried her over to the bed and laid her down.

“I can’t believe you just did that.” She crawled under his sheets and scooted over to the middle of the bed to wait for Chase. He leaned down and gave her a kiss.

“I gotta go to the bathroom, babe.” He was still grinning when he walked away, and Harley watched his perfectly round ass disappear into the bathroom connected to his room.

She was shocked when she realized it was a 'Jack and Jill' bathroom, with one side leading to the guest room, and one side leading to Chase’s room. How had she never noticed that before when she’d stayed here? She lay down, snuggling into Chase’s sheets and smiled as she inhaled his scent on the pillows. It was raining, she was naked in Chase’s bed, and there he was, walking back towards her to lay down beside her – how much more perfect could this get?

“Come ‘ere, babe.” Chase lay down and motioned for her to come to him. Harley scooted over and rested her head against his chest, luxuriating in the feeling of his bare skin against hers. “I gotta get up in a few hours, sweetie.”

“Oh crap!” She had totally forgotten about that! “What time is it?”

“After 1.” Chase yawned as he rubbed a weary hand over his face.  Feeling guilty, Harley snuggled in closer to him.

“I’m sorry, Chase. I shouldn’t have kept you up so late.”

“Darlin’, you can keep me up anytime you want to,” Chase chuckled as he patted her ass playfully.  She knew exactly what he was talking about, and it had nothing to do with the time!  Incorrigible man!

“You’re impossible, Chase Landry!” Harley reproached him, but couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice. He hugged her tightly and rested his chin against the top of her head.

“Only when I’m around you, sweetheart.” He kissed her on top of her head gently and pulled the covers up around him. “Get some sleep, baby.”  He yawned again, and as they are contagious, Harley yawned after.  Suddenly she was exhausted, tired to her very bones.  She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep amidst the sounds of Chase's steady heartbeat and the rain falling gently falling outside. 5am would come all too fast...


End file.
